What the Future Holds
by Tomato-cheeks
Summary: Kara and Lee had each other, but forced apart during the occupation of New Caprica. Now back on Galactica and reunited once again, Kara underwent some changes. Spoilers from all over. Main pairing Kara/Lee & a little bit of Karl/Sharon in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

_Hello! I'm actually a bit nervous posting this, as this is an experimental piece. I originally wrote a segment that formed this story as a part of a cross-over story (not posted) between BSG and the world of my own fic, (if you're interested to read my fic please visit my fictionpress page under the same name). There was a lot of re-writing done on this to detach it from that story._

_Again, because this is an experiment, I wouldn't say this is a proper sequel to "In Your Arms", but the character building and back story were from that story, so if you haven't read it, please do as there would be a little bit of reference to it in this story._

_Takes place after the exodus from New Caprica. Spoilers from all over._

_In this story Galactica finally met Pegasus after events in "In Your Arms", and eventually found New Caprica during one of their missions to scout for food supply._

_I hope you enjoy it._

_Disclaimer: I do not own BSG and/or its characters._

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 1<strong>

"You'd be great, Starbuck" Karl stared at her with pleading eyes.

"Oh no, you don't get to do that… not on me" Kara threw her gaze away.

"I really need your help here, I have no one else to ask" he pleaded.

"How about Cally?"

"She's on duty"

Kara sighed and turned to face her friend again. He was telling the truth, he had no one else to ask, not anyone he could trust anyway.

"I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't urgent. Athena only found out this morning that she'd be going on a mission. Not enough time to find a replacement"

"Gods! You're stubborn. Have you asked Lee?" she stomped her feet.

"No, I wanted to ask you first"

She drew her hands to the side of her hips, and held her gaze at her pleading friend.

"Fine" she caved in.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I owe you one" he squeezed her hands.

"BIG one" she reminded him.

"This is a one off, Helo" she warned him before he could say anything else.

"Hera is going to love you" he smiled sweetly at her, but his eyes were apologetic.

"Doubt it" she murmured under her breath, and said a silent goodbye to her R&R.

* * *

><p>"What the frak?" Lee came into their quarter welcomed by the wailing sound of a crying toddler.<p>

"Good! You're home. Here! Take it! I need to take a walk before I go insane" she handed the little girl in her arms to him before stomping off, leaving Lee confused, standing by the hatch with a toddler in his arms.

"Wait! Starbuck?" he called out to her, but she quickly disappeared around the corner.

_I don't do kids!_ Her mind screamed. She felt the frustration when Hera wouldn't stop crying, she just wanted some quiet time. But all effort had failed. She tried feeding her, singing to her, reading to her, playing with her, but nothing worked. By then her frustration was at a dangerous level and she couldn't be in the room for much longer.

"Captain" the Chief nodded at her as she entered his office. One look at the pissed off Starbuck, he poured a serving of his brew and handed it to her. Without delay she knocked it back and asked for more.

"Do I want to know?" Galen was careful.

"Hera" she simply said.

"I'm surprised Helo managed to convince you" he gave her that knowing look.

"Couldn't say no" she knocked the clear liquid back. Karl would have come to help her no matter what if she asked. She couldn't say no to him, especially after he had exhausted all his other possible options.

"Where is Hera now?" Galen asked while silently offering another, but Kara shook her head.

"With Lee. I just needed some air before I…" she couldn't finish her sentence as guilt washed over her. Hera had not done anything wrong to her, so why was she this angry?

"It's normal… the anger and frustration… it's expected" he told her.

"I'm a pilot, for frak's sake. I fly vipers and shoot Cylons! Heck! I turned down the job as XO, didn't I? I wouldn't be able to handle it…" she continued on with her complaints. When she finished, she took another shot of the Chief's brew and went back out after saying thank you to the man.

* * *

><p>"Feeling better?" Lee asked from across the room as she entered. There was no more crying, Hera was asleep in the little corner she made up for her this morning.<p>

"Much. Thanks" she muttered. Lee grabbed her hand and sat her down next to him.

"Want to talk about it?" he kept his hand on hers while looking into her eyes. Kara's eyes shifted to Hera who was peacefully asleep by then. She rested her head on Lee's shoulder as she sank into the curve of his arms. She didn't want to talk about it, but Lee knew that already, he was asking just in case she needed to.

It had been three months since the battle of New Caprica, since she broke free from the gods forsaken hell of hers, and the endless nightmares Leoben had put her through. If only she wasn't doing supply run on that fateful day when the Cylons found them, she'd be aboard Pegasus with Lee, and she'd be fighting to free her people instead of being the one in need of rescuing.

The death of Admiral Cain, Commander Fisk, and Commander Garner had landed Lee the responsibility of the Commander of the Pegasus. Soon after the Colonials settled on New Caprica, Kara transferred to the beast to be with Lee. The position XO was offered to her, but she politely refused, having loved flying more than anything else. She took the role of Pegasus CAG instead, and did a good job despite the lack of enthusiasm for paperwork that came with the title.

At the event of Exodus, Lee had sacrificed Pegasus and gave his people and Galactica a fighting chance, successfully escaping New Caprica, and once again made home in Galactica and be reunited with Kara. But the time she spent locked up in Leoben's frakked up cell had done damage to her, she barely function when Sam once again saved her life and took her aboard Galactica.

Lee, Sam and Karl had somehow came with a silent agreement to keep an eye on her. It frustrated her to no end that they felt the need to babysit her that she gave Lee a black eye when he hovered a little too close.

"I don't want to" she finally answered, letting Lee's arms enveloped her body as she watched Hera. Lee kissed the top of her head as he held her.

Kara understood why they left, why they jumped away when the Cylons came. Heck, the Admiral had them run emergency drills so often that when shit hit the fan, she was sure everyone went on autopilot mode and performed the emergency procedure spotlessly. She would have met them at the rendezvous point if she wasn't captured while trying to get to her raptor. She didn't blame anyone when it came to it, not even Showboat, who was supposed to be down there instead of Kara. It was Showboat's shift that put Kara on the planet side that day, she was ill and Kara took her shift.

When Kara didn't come within 48 hours of the emergency jump, Lee feared the worst. There was not a day went by without him begging the gods to bring her home safely. He formed a unique friendship with Karl over this mutual friend, and shared their worries. By then Karl took the position of Galactica's XO and was promoted to Captain. He married Sharon, who was sworn in to serve the Colonial military and later took after the callsign Athena.

Starbuck came back on Galactica an angry woman, she was bruised and beaten, but feistier than ever. Sam had described their escape from the tower to the raptor as gruesome. Kara had no mercy on those skinjobs, when her guns ran out of ammo, she'd impaled them with whatever sharp or dull object she found around her, and no matter how many times she was hit, even with the superior power of the Cylons, she kept coming back at them like a woman possessed. The only model she hesitated to kill was the eights, in relation to Sharon, but she only hesitated for a second before she brutally killed them.

Lee had held her close when she came back on Galactica, repeatedly saying he was sorry, and once again thanking Anders for saving her. Kara didn't say much, she turned quiet most days, and taking out her anger on punching bag and alcohol. She had slept on separate bed from lee for the first two weeks, not trusting herself being around people without hurting them.

And then there was Kacey…. The only person who managed to break Kara into tears everytime she thought of her. Kara missed her, and she hated Leoben for what he did, well… hate was an understatement. There was nothing she could do, Kacey was back with her real mother, where she supposed to be. All Kara was left with was a gaping hole in her heart as she learned the truth.

Lee's arms around her reminded her that Lee was not aware about what happened down in New Caprica. He asked, numerous times… so did Karl, and so did the Admiral, but each time she pushed back harder, not exposing any details on her capture. Even on her official report she only gave the Admiral the basic rundown of what happened. Taking back the role of CAG, Lee had grounded her for the first four weeks, until at least she didn't have the urge to deck her fellow pilots for no reason.

By the sixth week, Lee stopped asking, he figured she'd tell him when she was ready. But it didn't escape his attention that despite her lack of interest on Hera, she held a longing look when she watched her.

"Why don't we?" he whispered.

"Why don't we what?" Kara met his gaze and followed the trail to the sight of the sleeping toddler.

"Not now, Lee. We can't possibly start now. It's not a good time with the Cylons chasing us"

"There will never be a good time, Kara. Cylons will always be chasing us"

"People need us. We can't abandon my duty" she quickly replied.

"And we never will! It doesn't mean that we're throwing away our responsibilities. If we let the Cylons hold us back from what is rightfully ours, then why are we still fighting?"

She stared at him, searching for something in that captivating blue eyes. They had conversations about their future when they were still orbiting New Caprica, the possibility of a family was there. Starbuck made it very clear that it was still a possibility, but it wasn't beyond reach.

Her mind went back to Kacey, oh the little blonde beauty who stole her heart. She grew to love the little soul, only to lose her again. No, she couldn't, not now…

She withdrew herself from Lee, keeping her head down, but keeping one hand on his thigh.

"I'm not ready, Lee" her voice softened before she went to sit by Hera.

* * *

><p>"Thanks again, Kara" Karl expressed his gratitude when he picked Hera up. It was the second time Karl had asked Kara to babysit.<p>

"What did I say about this being a one-off, again?" she smirked.

"I know… I know… Trust me, I wouldn't have asked if I could ask someone else" he took the sleeping Hera from her arms, gently rocking her as the toddler made a little noise.

Kara symphatized him, he looked exhausted, worn… stressed… not the usual Karl she knew.

"Is everything alright?" she was concerned. He sighed, his shoulders slumped slightly as he squeezed his eyes before opening them again.

"Exhausted. There's something going around in Dogsville… people are getting sick"

"I'm sorry to hear that, Helo"

"Thanks" he added a smile.

"Hey…" she paused for a second, "If… you know… IF you can't find anyone else to babysit, and I'm free… You're welcome to bring Hera around" Karl was going to tease, but he was too tired.

"Thank you… I really appreciate it"

Kara pursed her lips together and nodded before parting with them.

* * *

><p>"What were you trying to prove?" Lee was half shouting. They haven't even made it into the CAG's office yet and an argument had erupted.<p>

"Nothing! It was an accident!"

"Then tell me why your nuggets and my two raptor pilots are in the lifestation?"

"Stop being a drama king! They passed all my ground tests!" she raised her voice.

"Enough!" they only just realized then that the Admiral had entered the office. Both of them snapped into position at the sight of the Old Man.

"Now someone tell me why I have damage birds and three pilots in lifestation?" he demanded.

Both Kara and Lee started to speak together but another bark from the Admiral shut them up.

"I want you to explain, Captain. You were there when it happened" he held his gaze at Kara.

"There was an avionic problem with Racetrack's raptor, Sir. It spiraled out of control towards us. I ordered my squad to break, which they did, apart from Amber, who froze. I had to push her out of the way so I shot her, she propelled towards Sonic and hit him, but both nuggets ejected before the collision. Racetrack and Skulls managed to get their raptor back under control, but Skulls was injured during the ordeal. The nuggets are uninjured, Sir"

"A pilot who froze…" Bill repeated. Kara twitched it was as bad as it sounded.

There was a tense moment as the three of then stood quietly in the CAG's office before siren blared loudly throughout every corner of Galactica.

"Action station! Action station! Set condition one throughout the ship. This is not a drill"

All three cursed as the voice blared through the speaker, followed by the deafening horn. Without delay, they ran out of the office.

* * *

><p>"What happened out there?" Kat demanded answers as Kara exited her viper.<p>

"What? I saved your ass"

"You almost frakking kill me!" Kat advanced towards the taller woman. Lee immediately grabbed onto Kat's arms as she put another step forward and ready to throw a punch.

"Cool it, you two! I'm not in the mood to send anyone to the brig! We're alive, leave it at that" Lee stood between the two furious women.

"Kat, she did save you. Might not be gentle, but she did, just be thankful" he turned towards Kat before he went to seek Kara's eyes.

"And you… what the frak is going on?"

"We're all alive, leave it at that? Wasn't like that an hour ago" she spat back at him before turning away. Lee grabbed her arm before she had a chance to leave. It only visible to him then, the exhaustion in her face, the growing bag under her eyes, the tiredness overlooming her, how could he miss it?

"Kara… are you okay? You've been… different" his voice softened.

"I'm fine" she quickly said.

"Get yourself to Cottle…"

"I'm fine" she snarled.

"There is a Mellorak infection going around in this ship, Kara. Please get yourself to Cottle" he insisted.

"Stop it, Lee. I have CAP in half hour and I'm planning to get a bit of rest beforehand" she moved away from him. She knew by the time they turn in that night things would go back to normal again, it always had.

* * *

><p>"Yo Captain! Join us for a game?" Hotdog yelled out from his seat. Kara gave him a weak grin, she just finished her CAP and somehow feeling more exhausted than usual. She could barely sleep last night, and by the time she finally managed to doze off, her alarm woke her up.<p>

"Not today, kids"

"What's the matter, Starbuck? Scared we'd beat you?" Kat remarked. Kara stopped and turned towards the younger woman.

"Not in a million years. Deal the cards" Kat snorted, which didn't go unnoticed. Kara went to grab a seat from the next table, but as soon as she lifted it, she put it down again as her knees wobbled, her hand went to the back of Sharon's chair to support her weight.

"Frak!" she cursed under her breath.

"Hey, you okay? Not drunk already, are you?" Sharon turned in her seat.

"Nope… I'm good" Kara whispered. _Perhaps I really should visit Cottle._ She shook her head and made another attempt at lifting the empty chair, but she never made it. As soon as she bent to lift, her world went black, a thud followed as she hit the ground.

"Starbuck?" Sharon dropped her cards and rushed to her side.

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><p>To be continued...<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

_Okay, I got a bit overboard while expanding this chapter, and so I've changed the rating to M due to violence._

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 2<strong>

"_I love you" he whispered to her ears, Kara closed her eyes as he planted a soft kiss on her ear, his body pressed against her, pinning her to the wall. She felt his hand moved to her side as her back met the solid coldness behind her. She opened her eyes to meet his as he pulled back, she was unmoved, unresponsive, but then there was a spark in her eyes as his widened. He stepped back and looked down, hands bloodied by his own blood, Kara had driven a fork into his stomach, and without mercy, she ripped the fork out and drove it to his throat._

"_I hate you" she finally said as Leoben's lifeless body met the floor. _

Kara's eyes fluttered opened and she immediately recognized that smell. _Lifestation. What the frak happened?_ Her brain still lingered in the dream she had moments ago, but snippets of the events prior started to come back, she remembered the triad game, and she remembered the chair… other than that her mind drew blank.

"Where is she?" Lee rushed to lifestation as soon as he finished his pre-flight briefing. Kat came in with the news that Kara experience light headedness and collapsed in the mess hall.

"Still with the Doc. She's fine" a nurse assured him and insisted that he waited until Cottle finished with her.

"What?" Kara's eyes jumped out at Cottle, her and clenched into a tight fist, ready to deck whoever pissed her off.

"Are you sure it's not Mellorak?"

"I'm sure"

Cottle wisely kept his distance in case the angry woman decided to use him as target practice for her knuckles. Kara squeezed her eyes before shaking her head. She stared at him sternly before he turned away.

"Miracles happen sometimes, Starbuck. Let's just hope it doesn't stop at you. We all need it" he took out a cigarette from his pocket before moving away from her bed. Kara watched Cottle's back for a moment as she sank into the bed.

"Frak!" she cursed under her breath.

"Hey… I came as soon as I heard" Lee barged in. Kara froze as the man walked in, taking her hand in his.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" she managed.

"Gods! Everyone is getting sick. I was so worried…"

"It's not Mellorak. I'm not sick" she cut him.

"Huh?"

"I'm not sick, Lee… I'm pregnant"

* * *

><p><em>Kara felt her stomach turned as she saw the little body lied face down on the cold floor. Blonde hair sprawled around her as she stayed very still. Panic seeped through her as she took in the scene laid in front of her.<em>

_What have I done?_

"_Sweetie… wake up…" her hand hesitantly touched her back._

"_Please… wake up…" her voice trembled as tears started to blur her vision._

"_Kacey, honey… please wake up, sweetie…" she pleaded again._

"There you are! Are you okay?" Karl nudged Kara as he took a seat next to her in the observation room, not noticing the glazy eyes before she turned to face the other way.

"No" she quickly answered. She had gone to visit Kacey and Julia, staying with them to get some "thinking" room for herself. It had been refreshing for her, but she wasn't ready to face Lee just yet, and decided to see the stars and the passing patrol before she had to.

"Is it safe to say congratulations?" he earned a glare from her.

"Lee told me" he explained.

"Of course he did… I was gone for a few months and now he tells you everything"

"I…" he paused and cleared his throat, "Are you jealous?" he was half mocking and half in disbelief. Kara threw him a death glare before her face softened.

"A little" she said quietly. Karl almost laughed.

"You're still my best friend, Kara" he assured her, looping one arm around her.

"So what are you going to do?" he asked as he squeezed her shoulder.

"I don't know, Helo. I took the shots religiously, I didn't miss! How or why I still got knocked up is beyond me" she sighed before turning to face her friend.

"And I need Lee not to be freaked out to start with"

A low chuckle came from Karl.

"Lee? Freaked? He's not freaked out… Well, maybe a bit since you've done a goner. Just talk to the man, Kara. You both made it this far without killing each other. I'd say you both can handle a talk"

Kara laid her head on Karl's shoulder. She sighed as the vipers on CAP went past the observation room window. She knew she'd miss flying.

_Kara couldn't help but to kiss Kacey's bandaged head and kept her within arm's reach. It was her way to assure herself that it was real, she was there with her. It was only then that she realized how much she cared for her, how far she'd go to keep her away from harm's way._

"_I'm here, Kacey… Mommy's here" she whispered from Kacey's bedside, and for once, it felt natural and right to her as she said it._

"So… congratulations?" Karl asked again. A small smile formed on Kara's lips and she bumped her shoulder to Karl's side.

"Thanks"

* * *

><p>Kara knew she couldn't keep avoiding Lee for long, she had been gone overnight, she knew Lee would be worried. She snorted a laugh at the though of it<em>. <em>_Pregnant and domesticated? Great one, Thrace!_ She shook her head as she exited the observatory room. Karl had left awhile ago, leaving her alone to collect her thoughts.

"_Hold her!" Kara passed Kacey into Sam's arms and took the riffle off him._

"_Kara?" he didn't know what to make of it. He came in to break her free, carrying the unconscious Kara over his shoulder, but only to have her running back once she came to, and grabbed the little girl by the name of Kacey. Galactica had launched an attack to free the Colonials on New Caprica, and Sam knew they had to leave the planet soon or Galactica would jump without them._

"_Kacey, sweetie, cover your ears and close your eyes. Hold on tight to Uncle Sam, okay sweetie? Do you understand?" her voice was soft and soothing. Kacey gave her a smile and brought her hands to her ears, and buried her face on the curve of Sam's neck. _

"_Good girl"_

"_Kara!" Sam tried to get her attention again, but she ignored him and charged forward. He followed._

"_Don't do this, Kara… we belong together" Leoben appeared before her, a Centurion was with him, firearm displayed and pointed at her. Without warning she fired at the machine, and didn't stop until it fell and no longer able to operate. The Leoben charged forward at an inhuman speed Kara had seen before, but she knew he'd make the move, and with a little movement, she shifted her weight and delivered a shot to Leoben's left eye, killing him instantly._

"_Let's move" she told Sam coldly._

_A Six came into view, but before she could do anything, Kara shot her down. That left her the two Centurions behind the fallen Six. Kara's hand squeezed the trigger and let stream of bullets passed through the barrel and met the offensive force in her way._

_One down, though not dead yet, but her ammo ran out. With some effort she maneuvered and grabbed the fallen Centurion's arm, and shot the other with their own weapon, before she drove her empty riffle into the base of the fallen robot's neck and disabled it._

"_How far do we have to go?" she asked without looking back._

"_To the gate. A raptor would be waiting"_

_Kara nodded at the answer. She lifted the Centurion's arm and brought her knee up before driving her foot into the joint, repeating the action several times until the arm was severed from its chrome body._

_She faced another Six near the exit with a bit of a struggle. The Six shot at her, and the bullet grazed the side of her thigh, but she didn't flinch. Sam wondered if she even felt the shot. Kara charged forward, carefully dodging the direction that the Six's gun was pointing at, and got close enough to her before she tackled the other woman down to the ground, knocking the gun in her hand away. _

"_Die, bitch!" Kara hissed at the skinjob, before brutally impaling her with the severed Centurion's arm she picked up before. Sam watched in horror as he no longer recognized the woman before him_

"_Kara…"_

"_Let's move, Sam" Kara turned to face him and he relaxed a little as he saw the glint in her eyes, and knew that Starbuck was still in there. But the relief didn't live long as a Three came from Kara's side and launched an attack. Sam was about to let go of Kacey, but Kara screamed "no" at him that he halted._

_The two women fell to the ground and grapple. D'Anna pinned Kara to the floor and put in a mean left hook to her ribs, followed by an elbow to the head, which Kara managed to evade. She brought her hands up and snapped her palms hard against the Three's ears. Sam cringed as D'Anna let out a scream of pain and pulled back, giving Kara a chance to stretch and took a hold of the discarded gun before putting a bullet in the skinjob's head._

"_For frak's sake, Kara!" he rushed to her, offering his hand and helped her up as she clutched one hand to one side of her body, trying to ease the pain emanating from her ribs somehow. She eyed the exit only meters away and nodded towards it. _

"_C'mon, not far to go" he tugged on Kara's arm._

"_When you see the raptor, go. Don't look back, I'll cover for you" she took a deep breath as she brought the gun in her hand forward._

"_Don't be stupid, Kara. We go together"_

"_I'll be right behind you. Whatever you do, keep Kacey safe"_

_Both of them made it to the exit, and just like Sam said, a raptor was waiting, two Marines were outside of the vessel, shooting any enemy in sight. Kara took a careful look around their surroundings and signaled Sam to go. As he ran across towards the raptor, Kara ran behind him, eyes darting back and forth for any enemies. _

"_Frak!" Kara cursed as a shot went pass her. Sam slowed and looked back, making sure she was okay._

"_Go!" _

_Kara brought her gun to where the marines were pointing at, they were retreating as Sam told them that they were the last ones. _

"_Kara! Get your ass in here!"_

"_C'mon c'mon c'mon focus!" she muttered under her breath as her eyes focused on a figure she was familiar with. Sharon… just for a moment Kara's finger eased its grip on her trigger, but one look at the Eight, Kara recognized the determination to kill, and decided to beat her to it. _

"_Kara! Get in here NOW!" Sam shouted again, this time with more urgency._

_Without a word, Kara complied and ran towards the raptor, leaving the gods forsaken land behind._

Lee had been walking back and forth in their quarter for awhile. He stole a glance at the clock… _Where the hell is Kara?_

So perhaps his reaction wasn't expected. He wanted to jump, to hug, to cheer, but after what Kara had told him only a week prior, he wasn't sure if it was a good idea. _Oh gods, what if she doesn't want to keep the baby? _He started to panic. It was illegal to have an abortion, but there were ways around it, and he knew Kara would find one should she decided to cross that bridge. She had been gone for over twenty four hours since they received the news, she didn't come back to their quarters last night, he knew because he almost didn't get any sleep waiting for her. When morning came, Lee's mind had gone haywire with unpleasant thoughts. He searched almost everywhere, deploying Karl and some nuggets to different ends of the ship to cover more grounds.

Lee shook his head. _Don't think about it._ He bit his lips before he stomped around again, his mind was thinking so loudly that he missed the sound of the hatch opening.

"Damn it, Lee! You should've just said what's in your mind! Oh what? I love you, this is great news? She just told you she wasn't ready, and you're just gonna jump on it? Have you lost your mind?" he talked to himself, complete with hand gestures.

"Clearly you have" Kara answered as she stood against the wall of their living area, arms crossed in front of her chest, and there was a Starbuck's trademark grin decorated her face.

"Kara! Thank gods you're alright!" he rushed to her, but soon stopped, "Gods… how long…" Lee only just realized that she had caught him in the middle of a conversation with himself.

"Are you happy?" she asked before Lee could for a sentence. He paused as he studied her unreadable expression. He finally sighed and moved to take her hands in his.

"I'm happy, Kara. I'm sorry if it's selfish of me… but…" she stopped him, capturing his lips with hers.

"_Captain! Gods! I thought you were dead!" Galen greeted her as she exited the raptor aboard Galactica._

"_Yeah, me too, Chief" she answered as she took Kacey into her arms and carried her off the raptor._

"_Who's this little fella?" Galen asked with a confused look._

"_Yeah, I was wondering that myself" Sam chirped in as he emerged from inside the raptor. _

"_This is…"_

"_Kacey!" a young lady stole the word from her mouth. _

"_Oh Kacey! You saved her! You saved my daughter! Oh Mommy missed you so much" the woman's eyes swelled in tears as the little girl in Kara's arm swung her arms towards her._

"_Thank you… thank you so much. Gods bless you" she squeezed Kara's arm as she took Kacey away. _

_Kara could hear her heart shattered as the reality kicked in, Leoben had played her again, and this time she wasn't sure how she'd recover. She felt numb, even as Lee pulled her into a hug and apologies mixed with "I love you"s streamed out of his mouth. _

Kara stared into the pair of blue eyes as she took a deep breath, it was real, he was there, she realized a long time ago that he was the only thing aside from flying that made her world made sense.

"That's enough for me" she whispered before pulling him into another kiss.

* * *

><p>"She's pregnant… about seven weeks" Cottle confirmed the news to the Admiral. It sounded so strange in his ears. Moments ago he found out from Lee that he'd be a grandfather, and Cottle's confirmation had given him the concrete proof, making it more real.<p>

"Congratulations" Cottle gave a grin.

"How's she taking it?"

"I stayed away from her, but I had no influx of injured soldiers, so I think it's safe to say that she's dealing with it"

"The baby?"

"So far I'm happy to say that everything is fine. Knowing Starbuck, that baby will have one hell of an attitude" Cottle chuckled at the thought, though he was horrified at the same time.

Bill sighed, the news did more good to him than he expected. He thought he'd have more problems with it, just as he did when the two just got together. But he was surprised to feel the warm feeling as he grasped the situation. A grandchild. He didn't think he'd live long enough to be a grandparent after the end of the worlds. The thought of it brought a smile on his face, and the smile grew wider as he walked towards a bed and drew the curtain open.

"Hey Grandpa" Kara greeted him. He liked the sound of it. Lee was by her side, hand in hers, looking very joyful. The Admiral didn't say anything but gave the two people he cared dearly a hug.

"By the way, Starbuck… don't even think about getting in the viper" he warned her.

"I'd chain you to the brig if I have to" Lee added. Kara rolled her eyes at the protective measures of the Adama men.

"I'm not fragile, you know"

"Raptor only. Doctor's order" the Old Man kissed the top of her head before lingered longer in the hug.

* * *

><p>To be continued...<p>

* * *

><p><em>I know pregnant Starbuck story has been done many times, but I thought I'd like to have a go with my own version. I hope you enjoyed it :)<em>


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you for reading and reviewing :) I'm glad you enjoyed it._

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 3<strong>

"_Kara? Please say something" Lee sighed as he saw her curled at the end of the couch, knees to her chest. Lee had never seen her in such state that it made him panic. He wasn't sure if it was horror, panic, or anger in her eyes, but since she stepped foot back on Galactica, she had been different._

_Yesterday he had held her tight when Anders brought her in, she returned the hug and clung tight to him as she broke into tears. _

"_You should go, you'd be late otherwise" her voice was flat, not bearing emotions, but she managed a weak smile. She missed him, and it angered her that she couldn't just be happy that they were back together. Lee stood and gave her a kiss, he was due to report in ten minutes._

"_Sorry about earlier" she was referring to his encounter with her knuckles that morning. He brought his hand up and rubbed his jaw where she hit. Lee woke her up when she trashed around violently in the night from her nightmare, but she was still deep into her nightmare that she had mistaken Lee as an attacker and punched him instead. _

"_Don't worry about it, I'll see you tonight, okay? If you need anything… please call. You know where I'd be" he added a gentle smile._

_Kara didn't say anything, she laid her head on the arm rest and took a deep breath. Lee left their quarter with a heavy heart, he wanted to be by her side, comforting her, but with the new situation the fleet found themselves in, duty called first._

_Kara's mind flew back to the moment Kacey called Julia "Mommy", and before she knew it, tears streamed down her eyes. Somewhere between memories of Kacey, Kara could hear Leoben's voice ringing in her ears._

"_Kara… Meet your daughter, Kacey" she shook her head to get rid of it, but instead, Julia's voice took over._

_"I'm Julia... Kacey's Mom..." her memory was a little sketchy, she didn't think she even heard her introduced herself as at that moment all she heard was her heart breaking at the word "Mommy" coming out of Kacey's mouth._

_She stood abruptly, her eyes scouted the quarter before she went over to Lee's desk and put her fist towards it, letting pain shot through her knuckles. At that moment physical pain was much better than what she was feeling inside. Her ribs were still sore, her face was still bruised, but it wasn't enough, she needed something to detach herself from the horrible memories swimming in her head. She went to her locker to grab her jacket before she finally dragged herself out of the quarter._

"Alright! Your asses are mine! And in case none of you have the guts to ask me yourself, yes, whatever rumor you heard is true, I am pregnant, and therefore since I cannot be out there, I will make sure you suffer on the ground. Call it Starbuck kind of love" she grinned widely. Kara took a good look around at the nuggets. She may not be allowed in the vipers, but she was still an instructor. The ready room was filled with pilot candidates, including the ones from Pegasus.

Kara sighed as she took a look around, she thought about the many nuggets she had trained since she became instructor aboard Galactica. Her finest yet was Kat, and although the women had their differences, they did look out for one another in their own way.

"Oh gods… do you think it's safe to leave them with her?" Karl commented as he and Lee watched quietly from the back of the ready room.

"She needs this… you must admit, she's the best. Plus, she'd drive everyone insane otherwise"

"Good point"

* * *

><p>"If that's the first trimester… gods help me for the rest" Sonic was limping back towards his bunk. Kara grinned as she walked pass the junior quarter. She drove them to their limits that day. Lee may think that she was insane, but he was quietly glad that it was channeled through training instead of putting her comrades in danger.<p>

"How are you doing, Starbuck?" Karl bumped lightly to her shoulder as he fell into step with her.

"Ah, you know… same old…"

"Uh-huh… now, are you sure you want to do this?" he asked carefully.

"Damn right I'm sure"

"Lee is so going to kill me. You do know he doesn't agree with this, right?" he muttered.

"Tough for him. I need this! And you and I both know I can handle it" she spun to her right and into the gym.

"Just do me a favor and take it easy, will you?" he followed.

"Aaaaw… what's the matter, Helo? Scared a girl might beat you?" she threw a pair of boxing gloves at him.

"C'mon! I need to get some steam off" she grinned before putting her gloves on. Karl just shook his head and put the gloves on before heading to the matt where Kara was bouncing lightly waiting for him.

_Lee couldn't take his mind of Kara as the day went by, he had been at his father's side most of the day, having meetings with the president, organizing the refugees, before taking back the role of CAG. _

"_Sir, I'm sorry to interrupt, but your presence is needed" Skulls politely reported to CIC. Both Bill and Lee raised their heads to meet the pilot's eyes._

"_It'll have to wait, Lieutenant"_

"_Sir, the XO requested your presence" he insisted._

_Lee stood still for a moment before Bill nodded at him._

"_You're excused, Major" Bill knew Karl wouldn't interrupt unless it was something very important._

_Lee followed the pilot's footsteps down the hallway, and as soon as he made a couple of turns, he knew they were going towards the hangar deck._

_This better be urgent, his mind told him even though he knew that for Karl to have requested his presence, something bad must have happened, and perhaps it was something to do with Kara._

_Lee could hear a small crowd shouting as soon as Skulls opened the hatch. There were a few people in front of him but he recognized the voice that was yelling on top of the crowd noise._

"_Stop it!" _

_The crowd parted and made way for Lee, it was then that he saw why Karl had requested him, and he could justify the request._

_In Karl's arm was Kara, he noticed the blood on her knuckles, a cut on her upper lip, and there was another on her eyebrow, while her already injured thigh from the gunshot was bleeding through the fabric of her pants. On the other side was Hotdog, holding Kat in his arms. The younger woman was pissed, but she wasn't as beaten as Kara was. Her hands clenched into a tight fist, he saw redness on her knuckles from the punches she delivered, and she may have bruised ribcage from the hits she sustained, but she fought back good._

_A smirk escaped Kara's lips, she spat blood on the floor, eyes were burning with rage._

"_Is that all you've got?"_

_Hotdog managed to hold Kat back as she tried to advance._

"_Kara! Snap out of it!" Karl held her tightly. Lee was horrified at what he saw, there was too much anger in one body that it almost bled through her skin, she was mad._

"_Where the frak is the medic?" Karl turned to look for Galen who had requested medic to come with sedative._

"_Coming!" Galen yelled out as he made his way back to the perimeter the knuckle draggers and some of the pilots had formed around the two fighting women._

"_Kara, stop it please" Lee's voice was soothing, but it had no effect, it seemed like Kara didn't even hear him._

"_You crazy bitch!" Kat screamed at her._

"_That's enough!" Lee barked at her, and this time she listened._

"_Let me go!" Kara demanded as Karl tightened her grip._

"_Calm down" Lee tried again, but he didn't get through. This time Kara tilted her head forward before hitting Karl on the nose with the back of her head. Karl involuntarily let go of his grip as his hands went to his nose._

"_Frak!" he cursed under his breath as his eyes started to water._

_Lee moved forward to take her into his grip, but Karl quickly recovered and grabbed one of her shoulders._

"_I am so sorry for this, Kara" he managed to say before he gave her a right hook and knocked her out. Lee watched in horror as Karl caught her in time before she hit the floor._

"_Was that necessary?" Lee rushed to help Karl gently laid her down on the floor._

"_Medics are taking too long with the sedative. If I let it go on longer, she'd do more damage than pissing Kat off"_

"_What the frak happened?" Lee threw his glance over at Kat._

"_Ask her! That crazy bitch attacked me when I asked her about the little kid" Kat let herself go from Hotdog's grip. Karl rubbed the bridge of his nose where it was still sore. He had gone to see Kara on his break, just to catch up, but he arrived in the middle of a fist fight between the two pilots._

"_What kid?" Lee was confused._

"_She was with a little girl when she came back, Sir" Galen answered._

"_I was only trying to make a conversation!" Kat told him, "It… she looked like she needed it" she added._

_Lee sighed as he turned to face Karl, luckily his nose wasn't broken._

"_Out of the way!" Lee heard from behind him. The crowd broke as the Chief told them to get back to work and the medics arrived at the scene, moving Kara onto a stretcher._

" _You two get yourselves checked" Lee told Karl and Kat before he moved away, trying to make sense of it all._

"_Chief!" Lee called out._

"_Yes Sir?"_

"_What do you know about the kid?"_

"_Not much, Sir. The girl's name, if I remember correctly was Kacey, she was one of the civilians' daughter. I didn't stay around long enough to get the story. Try asking Anders, he was the one who rescued Starbuck from the Detention Center"_

* * *

><p>"What part of being careful did you not understand?" it was more of a telling off for Kara when Lee passed a bag of ice to Kara. She gladly took it and pressed it over her bruised cheekbone. Kara came late to their meeting to run through schedules and training program, and Lee was less than impressed when she turned up with a bruise. It had been three months of training with Karl since she found out that she was pregnant. Despite the fact that Lee disagreed strongly with it, Kara needed physical training to keep her going and sane.<p>

"Oh relax, would you? I'm fine! Baby's fine! I got punch in the face, no big deal"

"No big deal? Kara, you're pregnant!"

"Bad time?" Karl knocked on the slightly ajar hatch of the CAG's office.

"What were you thinking, Helo?" Lee didn't wait for the man to close the hatch before he had a go at him. The taller man pressed the hatch shut to prevent their argument to be heard from the hallway before he stepped further into the office. It was only then that Lee noticed the bruise on the corner of his eye, and the cut on his lower lip. The two Captains shared a knowing look between them before Lee went quiet and asked "What?"

"A bar brawl at Joe's" Kara answered.

"And you're involved?" Lee bounced the question back at her, and he wouldn't be surprised if she answered yes.

"Stray punch, Apollo" Karl explained.

"I got punch, so I punched back, but Helo intercepted and got that before we managed to get away from it" she pointed at Karl's injuries.

Lee sighed and wiped his face with his palm before he shook his head.

"Get it in your head, Apollo. I'm pregnant, not fragile and useless. I know my limit" she sternly told him.

"Do you?" Lee quickly asked, remembering the numerous times she had gone over her limit.

"Lee..."

Lee took a deep breath, knowing full well this is an argument he wouldn't win. He shifted his gaze to meet Karl's who nodded, silently telling him to let it go. With a sigh he placed his hand on each side of her jaw and pulled her into a gentle kiss.

"Just please… be more careful"

"Yes Sir" she answered with a mocking tone and added a grin.

"_Sorry to interrupt, but can I have a moment with you?" Lee shot an apologetic look towards Seelix as he asked Sam to come with him._

"_Sure" Sam nodded. He rose from the edge of his bunk and gave Seelix a kiss before following Lee out of the crowded quarter. _

"_I'll be right back" he told her before he disappeared behind the hatch. Seelix just nodded and gave him a smile. _

"_What can I help you with?" Sam asked as soon as they were outside._

"_What do you know about the kid who was with Kara when you came back?"_

"_Huh? Kacey? Not much, I'm afraid. All I know is that Kacey was in the detention center with Kara, in the same unit. When I rescued her, she came back for the kid and took her with us. When we got here the mother saw her, apparently the Cylons took the kid, and Starbuck brought her back... Then the mother was thanking Kara continuously before she took Kacey away"_

_There was a quiet moment before Sam recognized the flicker of worry in Lee's eyes._

"_Does this have anything to do with what went down with Kat?" _

_Lee took a deep breath as he combed his hair with his finger, his shoulder slumped slightly._

"_I've never seen her that angry… it was like..."_

"_She was a different person" Sam finished Lee's sentence. Lee searched the man's eyes for answer as the words left his mouth. _

_Sam struggled to explain what he witnessed during their escape, Kara had not said anything to Sam about her time in the detention center, or what was her connection to Kacey, but at that moment, Lee would take anything to make sense of what just happened._

"_Did you catch the name of the mother?"_

_Sam leaned back on the wall as he tried to remember._

"_Julia… I think"_

* * *

><p>"Oh look who's here!" Sharon spoke to Hera as Kara came into their quarter.<p>

"Hi Starbuck" Sharon offered her a smile as she took Hera into her arms.

"Hi" Kara replied with another smile.

"Thanks again for doing this"

"It's okay, I can't do anything anyway" she took the toddler from Sharon's arms. Since the news of her pregnancy Kara had been coming to see the Agathons a lot, and she grew more patient for Hera too.

"Oh aren't you getting heavy?" Kara teased the little girl in her arms.

"Tell me about it. I'm sure I'm getting enough workouts just by carrying her around. You look great, by the way" Sharon commented.

"Thank you" she gave her a smile. She turned to face Hera again and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"C'mon, let's go and play" she whispered in her ear.

"Karl will come by to pick her up after his shift. Thanks again" Sharon held the hatch open as Kara and Hera passed through.

"No problem. Have a great day"

"See you later, sweetie" Sharon planted a kiss on her daughter before she left for work.

_There were 127 women by the name Julia in the fleet, which wasn't bad at all, Lee thought he'd have to go through hundreds more of Julias. On Galactica alone there were 42 Julias, it was a start though. He had crossed out five of them, and given that she was on board Galactica when she got off the planet, there was a good chance she'd still be on the ship._

"_How are you going?" Karl startled him. _

"_Hey… well… five down, one hundred twenty two to go" Lee threw his pencil on his desk and leaned back on his chair as Karl took a seat on the opposite side of the desk. _

"_Go see Kara, I'll take care of it while you're gone"_

"_How is she?"_

_Karl shook his head and took the paper with the list of Julias into his hand. _

_"Not sure. She is still very quiet. Being in the brig doesn't help though" he paused and met the man's gaze._

_"Has she talked to you about the detention center?" Lee had to ask although he knew what the answer might be._

_"Not a word, I'm afraid" Karl paused for a moment, _"_Go on… I've finished my shift already, I can do this" he assured him. Lee nodded before he stood from his seat and headed towards the hatch._

"_Thanks, Helo"_

_Karl nudged his head before he turned back to the list. Julia Briar… Julia Brynn… his eyes went to the location next to the name, Julia Briar was on Zephyr. _

_Julia Brynn it is, he murmured to himself._

"Hey Starbuck" the Admiral greeted her as she made her way to her quarter with Hera attached to her hip.

"Afternoon, Sir"

"Hello Hera" he gave the little girl a smile but she was more interested in Kara's hair, it had grown longer then.

"You're looking good, Kara. How's everything?"

"All great, Sir. Just babysitting for Helo and Athena" she grinned.

"And the training?" he carefully asked, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"Still going. Don't worry, Lee had given me the lecture about being careful so often that I could quote him in my sleep" she assured him. A low chuckle came from him, he'd give Kara the lecture himself too.

"I don't expect less from him" he paused at an intersection, "I noticed you dropped Amber completely from the pilot program"

"Yes Sir, her last test showed she's not cut out for it. I've given her a second chance, and she blew it. I cannot have my pilot freeze in action"

A smile formed in the Admiral's face, happy that she was somehow becoming more sensible. There were more pilots in the fleet with Pegasus crew joining forces, but that didn't stop them training new ones, they never knew when they'd need them, and it gave them a purpose.

"Very well,Starbuck. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon" he said as he parted ways with her, going towards CIC.

"_Julia Brynn?" Karl greeted the woman. The sight of a little girl with blonde hair next to her was promising. They were in a small area with the other refugees, not exactly a great place for a kid, but there were nowhere else for them to go to._

"_Yes, that's me"_

"_I'm Captain Karl Agathon" he extended his hand._

"_Is something wrong?" she asked as she gave Karl a nervous handshake._

"_Is your daughter's name Kacey by any chance?"_

"_Yes, this is Kacey…" there was uncertainty in her voice by then. Karl must have shown a huge relief on his face because Julia looked confused to say the least._

"_Do you mind if I ask you and your daughter a few questions? It's regarding one of our pilots, Kara Thrace"_

* * *

><p>To be continued...<p>

* * *

><p><em>I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I did contemplate whether or not to separate the timeline or merge them together like the past chapter. After experimenting with it, I decided to merge it. This may change in future chapter (depending on how well it works), but please do tell me what you think of it :) Thank you for reading.<em>


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you for reading and reviewing :) Very much appreciated ^^_

_Sorry for the late update. This chapter is heavy on the back story and was a little challenging for me to write. I had to re-write this story a few times before posting (hence the late update)__, mainly trying on different format, but somehow it didn't work as well... So here it goes :)_

_I hope you enjoy it. _

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 4<strong>

"The baby is fine, Major" Cottle reassured the worried father to be. Kara threw an "I told you so" glare at Lee while making no effort to hide her winning smile.

"You don't need to come in every time she bumps herself on something, a mother's body is tougher than you think" the Doctor added.

"Ha! Can I get that in writing, Doc? I'll frame it and hang it in his office" Kara teased. A chuckle came from Cottle, he shook his head as the couple had their mini argument.

"As for you, Starbuck, it doesn't hurt to take it easy and give your man a peace of mind. You are five and a half months along after all" this time it was Lee who displayed a winning smile on his face.

"Oh c'mon!" she rolled her eyes.

"Now get the frak out of here. You two are crowding my station"

"Gladly. I have work to do" Kara got off from the bed.

"That'll be paperwork, I hope" Lee chimed in.

"In your dreams. I have vipers to fix"

"Action Stations! Action Stations! Set condition one throughout the ship! This is not a drill!" Lee cursed at the sound of it.

"Duty calls, Apollo" Kara's lips twitched into a smirk.

"Paperwork, Starbuck" he warned her again before he ran out of Lifestation.

"I love you too!" she yelled out at him and earned a glare from Cottle.

"_The kid didn't say anymore than the fact that they were being held in there by one of the male Cylons, a Leoben model. Any progress on Kara?" Karl sat on the empty seat across from Lee's desk._

"_She's still not saying a word about New Caprica or the fight. She'd be out of the brig in a few days, but it seemed like she wants to stay in there longer" Lee shook his head. Karl sighed and let a moment passed between them before he rested his elbow on the desk._

"_Try taking Kacey to see her... Once she's out of the brig of course" he suggested._

"_Are you sure that's a good idea? The last thing I want is for the both of them to be reminded of whatever nightmare they faced down there"_

"_Kacey has been asking her Mom to see Kara since they parted, so it could be the only lifeline Kara has"_

Kara stormed into the busy hangar deck soon after the jump was made. She let out a sigh of relief when she spotted Lee's viper before she scouted the hangar deck for others.

"Where's Sneaker?" she asked Lee as he slid down the ladder and handed in the post flight check list to the deckhand. She was keeping count of her new pilots as they came back from their first dog fight. As much as it wasn't her job to babysit them anymore, she still worried for them, she wanted them all to come back safely. But when Lee approached her with a devastated look on his face, she knew the answer.

"I'm sorry Kara…"

Kara swallowed hard, her pilot… another one had gone… Sneaker knew the risk, Kara did too.

"Thanks" she managed to say before she turned back and rounded her new pilots.

Lee watched from afar, he felt the loss too, but they must carry on and not let the death of their comrades go to waste. He turned to his viper and silently thanking the bird for taking him home safely before he left the deck.

Kara felt the baby kicked, as if feeling her grief, and reminding her that she wasn't alone. Her lips curled into a small smile as one hand caressed her stomach.

"I know, bub… I know" she whispered.

* * *

><p>"<em>Kara don't be silly" he pleaded as she curled up with a blanket on the couch.<em>

"_Don't take it personally, Lee. I really need to sleep by myself for now" Lee bit his lip as he stood by the couch. _

"_Kara, could you please tell me what's going on? You haven't really talked since you came back" _

"_What do you want me to say?" she asked back. Lee had revoked her flight status due to her ordeal with Kat, and the fact that as soon as she was out of the brig earlier that morning, she had hit the booze hard. _

_She was seen later that evening at the gym, beating the life out of the punching bag until her knuckles bled, and even so, she didn't stop. No one stopped her either. They heard about the fight between her and Kat, and although the women didn't speak about it, others did. _

"_Anything! Help me understand all of these"_

"_I love you, Lee… I do… but at the moment I'm just so angry… I don't know how else I could put it"_

"_At who?" _

"_Everyone! Everything! This frakking universe!" she balled her hands into fists and clenched her jaw. _

"_Then do something about it! Sitting around getting drunk? Beating your fellow pilots? Hurting yourself? That is not the way out. I missed you, Kara. You have no idea how much it's killing me to see you like this, and you're not letting me help!" Lee didn't mean to raise his voice at her, but he did. He expected a fist fight to take place, but to his surprise, her face softened._

"_I missed you too" she answered, her eyes looked straight into his blue eyes with added assurance. When she didn't say anything further, Lee crouched next to her, his hand caressing Kara's hair gently._

"_At least take the bed, Kara. Let me have the couch tonight, I'll sort an extra bed tomorrow" he leaned forward and gave her a kiss._

"Captain" Lefteye greeted her. Kara gave the pilot a once over before she spoke.

"Speak, Lieutenant... And make it fast" she was at Lee's desk, going over that week's schedule, and she wasn't really in a good mood. Sneaker's death somehow got to her. _Why?_ Was it because he was one of the newest viper pilots? Or was it because he was the only one who didn't survive that time around? How was he any different from any other pilots? She shook her head, trying to shake the feeling away.

"Yes Sir, I was told to report to you"

_Another one_, her mind said as he handed a brown folder to her hand. A pilot transfer.

"So you want to fly vipers, Lieutenant?" she asked while quickly reading reports on his raptor piloting hours.

"Yes Sir"

"And you think you have what it takes?" she slammed the brown folder back on her desk. The pilot swallowed hard.

"Yes Sir"

She snorted at that, she had seen the determinations in the new pilots, they were eager... ambitious. She eased her way up from her seat and met the pilot's gaze. His eyes were differrent colours, one eyes brown while the other was green. His left green eyes was so captivating that he gained his name Lefteye because of it. He was takler than her, curly hair tied in a small pony taili tightly, he stood confidently even under Starbuck's stern eyes.

"You are to report to the CAG in one hour" she finally said.

"Yes Sir"

Kara waited until the pilot disappeared behind the hatch before she swept her arm across the desk and threw everything off the table with a growl. Kara knew that there was no guarantee for anyone who went out there that they'd be back alive. Each time she saw the inside of the hectic hangar deck after a dogfight, she thanked the gods, and when she laid eyes on the sight of Lee's viper, a huge sigh of relief escaped from her... they had survived another day.

"_Tell me… what's going on?" Bill sighed as he leaned back into his seat. It seemed to be everyone's favourite words lately. Across from him was Kara, half of her face was bruised from the beating she took a few days ago._

"_Nothing, Sir"_

"_This…" Bill put a folder in front of her, "… is not nothing" Kara stared blankly at the folder, unmoved, and emotionless. _

"_These are reports of your mishaps since you came back. I get it if you need time to recuperate before you're back on duty. I even understand if you slip a little. But this… this is unacceptable" _

_Kara stayed quiet, she didn't have anything to say, because no one would understand. _

"_Kara…" he took his glasses off and truly looked at her. It broke his heart to see the woman he loved as his own daughter in such state. _

"_You know I'm here if you need to talk… you can come in anytime you need me. You know I would listen and I would make time for you. This…" he pointed at the folder full of report before pointed at her, his voice sounded hurt that she chose to bottle it up._

"_This… must stop. You are a pilot, and right now you're not doing your job. If you no longer have the will to carry your duty, then get off my ship. I have no room for someone who causes trouble and endangering my crew… and more importantly, I have no room for someone who doesn't want to help herself when people around her are willing to help. We cannot fix your problem, Kara... but we can help you go through it. Is that understood, Captain?" his voice turned stone cold. Kara took a big hit but she took it, she could justify the Admiral's action as it was what she'd do to anyone who behaved the way she did. _

"_Yes Sir"_

"Hey, are you rea..." Karl poked his head in, but soon barged in as he saw the mess on the floor.

"What happened?" he quickly grabbed her arms.

Kara shook her head while she stared to pick up the scattered papers. Karl automatically lend a hand.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, just not having a good day" she answered quickly while putting Lefteye's files back in order.

"Because of Sneaker?"

"Am I that readable?"

Karl grabbed the files off her hands and out them back on the desk before he sat down on the floor next to her. He looped one arm around her and pulled her into a hug.

* * *

><p>"<em>Kara, I have someone here to see you" Lee gently told her as he eased his way into their quarter. Kara was still in her bed, having had a rough night, self inflicted, of course, her whole body protested violently. The Admiral's words rang loudly in her head. At that moment she'd gladly put her fist to Lee's face until she saw the little girl attached to his hip.<em>

"_Kacey…" her eyes widened. _

_The little girl giggled in Lee's arm, before she turned and spread her arms towards Kara. Her eyes gleamed as she saw the blonde woman._

"_Kara" her little voice called. Kara got out of bed in record time and took Kacey into her arms. Oh she missed her dearly. _

"_Kacey honey… I miss you sweetie" her soft voice caught Lee by surprise. He never thought the little girl would bring that effect on her. He took a seat on the couch as he watched them interact. It felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulder as her lips curled into a smile, and joyful laughter filled the room. _

_After knowing that they'd be okay, Lee stood from his seat, and headed towards the hatch._

"_I'll be outside if you need me" he told her. Kara lifted her head to meet Lee's eyes and a sincere smile formed on her face._

"_Thank you" Lee caught a glimpse of the Kara he once knew as she thanked him. _

_The little girl reached up and gently laid her hands on Kara's bruise and cuts, a frown formed on her pretty little face._

"_Kara sick?" she gave a concerned look on her face. At that moment Kara felt ashamed for being so weak, consumed by anger and unable to chase Leoben out of her frakked up mind. She looked at Kacey, who was kidnapped by the same man who had been haunting her nightmares, then she was forced to live with another woman who was not her mother, and yet, there she was… happy to be there. _

"_I know, sweetie… I haven't been well"_

"_Get well" she cupped her jaw before she put her little arms around her neck and gave her a hug. Kara eyes widened before it blurred by her incoming tears._

"_Did your mother teach you that?" she smiled. When she pulled away she saw a grin on Kacey's face, a grin that reminded her a lot of herself, and she couldn't help but to laugh._

_Beaten by a toddler… nice one! She laughed sarcastically in the inside too. At least she felt something._

"Hey Boss. Got a minute?" Kara sheepishly greeted the older Adama. Bill looked up from the book in his hand and threw a smile at her.

"Always" he closed the book and motion her to take a seat.

"How are you?" he asked as she sat down across from him.

"Confused... To say the least" her eyebrow formed a frown.

"Oh? About?"

"I..." she cleared her throat, "I don't think I can continue to be a flight instructor while I'm still pregnant" she finally got it out.

Bill sighed as he leaned back into his seat, he worried about that too, he remembered during her earlier stage of pregnancy Lee came into his quarter with a confused and slightly horrified look on his face. When the father asked what happened, the son explained how Kara went from happy, to sad, to angry, and back to happy again in a space of less than two hours.

"Why not?"

Kara shifted in her seat, feeling uneasy, but also weak that she was defeated by her own emotions. Her fingers unconciously played with the ring circling her thumb.

"I feel... Too attached... And I'm afraid it may have clouded my judgements"

A sigh came from the Admiral as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk.

"Kara... The crew is your family, everyone else died back in our home worlds, we are all we have. We depend on one another, we care for each other, I'd be lying if I said I don't feel attachments to my crew, that I don't feel a thing when I received the word that they were killed in combat"

She took a deep breath as she sank into her seat.

"I just can't..."

"You can, Kara. You have been a good instructor, a good mentor, don't stop doing that" he didn't let her bet her own confidence.

"I'll give you some time to get yourself together, but I'd like to see you back with the nuggets by the end of the week"

"You're not giving up on me, are you?" she asked.

"Never" he gave her a grin she didn't know he had.

* * *

><p><em>Kara was seen with Sam a little bit more often after Kacey's visit. At first Lee was uneasy about it, but when Kara's outbursts were getting less frequent, Lee let them be. Perhaps being stuck down in New Caprica as their common ground could work.<em>

_Their lives behind closed doors were getting a little better. Lee had found Kara sneaking into the extra bed and cuddled to him in the night, but the extra bed still stayed, it was almost like an exit strategy for Kara for when things got tough, and Lee didn't make any attempt to move back into their bed. _

_The change in Kara didn't go unnoticed by the Admiral, who seemed to be happy to see her progressed the way she did, perhaps not as instant as he'd like it to be, but he knew nothing was. He had to give Saul a heartbreaking ultimatum that almost matched Kara's before he eventually came back to his duty as Galactica's XO, leaving Karl to take care of other necessities in the ship. _

"Have you thought of a name?" Lee asked as he ran his fingers through Kara's hair. Her back to him, with her head rested on his chest, rising up and down in time with his breath.

"Lee… we don't even know if it's a boy or a girl"

"Do you want to find out?"

"Not really, I'll know when he or she decided to come out" she placed her hand on her belly. Lee let out a soft laugh as he pulled her closer to him.

"Didn't know you could be that patient"

"Watch it, Apollo"

"Always, Starbuck" he replied with a grin he kissed the tip of her ear.

"_Hey! What the frak are you doing?" Lee could hear Kat screaming her head off at one of the nuggets. _

"_I'm sorry Sir" the nugget sheepishly moved away from the viper with tools still in his hand. _

"_Give me that, I'll show you how it's done" she grabbed the tool and told the nugget to pay attention. Lee chuckled at the sight of it, but he stopped on his track as he saw a figure he missed the most. It had been two weeks since she was banned from going anywhere the hangar deck due to the damage she had caused the second time a fist fight broke. Kara seemed to be in her elements then, eyes turned to her, mainly suspicious and careful, in case she would start another fight, but others were welcoming, happy to see her back on her feet._

"_Kat…"_

"_Come back later, can't you see I'm busy?" Kat answered without taking her eyes off the task. _

"_I won't take too much of your time" Kara said again, this time Kat registered the owner of that voice and turned. _

"_You have some guts showing up. What are you trying to pull?" the nugget looked rather uncomfortable with the situation, thankfully Kat told him to leave. _

"_I'd like to apologize" _

"_If you think you'd be…" Kat stopped as Kara's words sunk in, "You what?" _

"_I came to apologize" it was a start. She couldn't changed what happened already, but she could at least attempt to remedy some situations she had created. _

_Lee watched the exchanged between the two women, his lips twitched into a relief smile. It's a start, his mind told him._

_The rest of the day went peacfully for everyone, Lee couldn't help but to feel happy despite his body protesting after CAP and three hours meeting with the President and the Admiral of the fleet. Kara was getting back on her feet, and that put a smile in his face._

"_Sorry I'm late" he apologized as he came in to their quarter, but to find Kara sitting on the edge of their bed. The extra bed had been folded and put away by the hatch._

"_Kara?"_

"_Hey" she answered._

"_You're… you're not kicking me out, are you?" he had to ask, but she smiled as she pulled him into a hug. _

"_I'm kicking the bed out" she pressed her forehead onto his, "I'm trying to heal, Lee"_

"_As long as you're okay"_

"_I'm not, but I will be" she whispered. Lee let himself clung to her for a moment longer, savouring the moment, it had been their first peaceful reunion since she came back a month ago. _

"_You know… Karl was wondering if you can babysit Hera for him sometimes… since I told him that you're really good with Kacey" he teased._

"_Yeah, keep dreaming, Apollo… I draw the line at Kacey's little visits" Kara patted his back. _

"_I love you" he whispered to her ear, a smile formed on his face. Kara's lips mimicked the movement on Lee's, she kissed him deeply as she let him guide her under the covers._

"_I love you too"_

Lee put one hand on Kara's stomach, making circles with his finger tips.

"I caught up with Laura today" she told him.

"Oh? How is she?"

"Good. She wants us for a family supper. Something about celebrating, but she refused to tell me what it was about. She said I'll find out soon enough. Do you know anything about that?"

"Maybe…" she waited for an answer before she moved.

"Well, are gonna tell me or what? Did your father finally…" she turned to face him, but she stopped on her track as she was faced with a little box in Lee's hand.

"… propose…" her eyes were fixated at what was inside the box before she looked up to meet Lee's eyes.

"Kara, will you marry me?"

* * *

><p>To be continued...<p>

* * *

><p><em>Phew! That was a mission for me to write. It was a huge relief to have this chapter finally done :)<em>


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you very much for reading and the review :) They are greatly appreciated. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 5<strong>

_"Hey look who's here!" Julia pointed at Kara as she turned up by their camp. Kata felt guilty that they had to live in such place when she had the comfort of a private quarter and still managed to screw things up._

_The little girl next to Julia stood and made a run towards the other woman with arms opened wide, ready for a hug. It warmed Kara's heart to see her again, after all, Kacey's last visit was the one that gave her the fuel to pick up the pieces and start putting herself back together again._

_"Kara! Kara!" she called her. Kara met her and took the little girl into her arms as she picked her up._

_"Hello, you! Missed me?" she added a grin. Kacey nodded eagerly as the smile on her face grew wider. Kara laughed lightly as she walked towards Julia with the little beauty in her arms._

_"Hi Kara, good to see you" Julia greeted her._

_"You too. Thanks for letting me see Kacey"_

_"Oh Kacey loves spending time with you"_

_Kara noticed relieve washed over the mother's eyes, by then Julia had known about Kara's ordeals since she came back. Karl explained to her how they were trying to help Kara by any means necessary, and that included to let Kacey to visit. Julia was more than happy to let her little girl visit, and helped the woman who saved her daughter to gain herself back. It was the least she could do, and Kacey would be happy to get to see Kara again._

_Julia couldn't help but to stare on Kara's fading bruises on her face, it was almost fully healed, but Julia could tell that it used to have a much deeper purple colour, and it would hurt a lot. She felt almost guilty that some got it worse than others while down on New Caprica, and some didn't cope as well as others. When Kara noticed, she smirked._

_"I was being stupid. Got what I deserved"_

_"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare" she quickly tore her gaze away._

_"That's okay. It's a reminder for me not to repeat that again" _

_Karl's spirit lifted at the sight of Kara's genuine smile, finally, he thought. He watched the three of them on their spot, as if there were no other people around them. Turning away, his lips curled into a smile, she'll be okay._

With only two weeks to the due date, Kara was still actively training, under Lee and Bill's watchfull eyes, of course. Keeping active had helped her channel her emotions out and kept her in good condition. Being pregnant had made her emotions fluctuated, something that Lee was really worried about considering her history. The urge to deck a certain superior asshole over Triad was greater than ever, but luckily most times she managed to hold back, at least until her session with Karl.

A growl came from the blonde woman. She had been by her viper again as she had grown uneasy with the due date closing by. Lee had been busy lately, while Kara had stopped working so she could concentrate on just being prepared. That day though, she was simply grumpy, not liking her body, not liking how she was feeling, not liking anything.

"No one told me I'd be this frakking big!"

"Not too long to go, grumps" Galen teased her.

"Watch it, old man!" she hissed at him.

Galen threw his hands in the air and continued working. Kara threw her glance around the hangar deck, perhaps looking for a nugget she can get angry on. Karl quickly walked over to her as soon as he saw her.

"Did Cally or Sharon ever got this grumpy?" Kara asked after she took five deep breaths and counted to ten.

"Did you think me putting up with you was a given? Trust me, it's a skill" Karl grinned at her.

"Cally wasn't really angry... She cried... A lot" Galen added before he disappeared under a viper.

Karl moved to give her a hug, and said hello to her stomach too. He was the only male crew member besides Lee who could touch Kara's stomach without being impaled by the woman.

"Alright, Missy... You know the drill" Karl tapped her on the shoulder, ushering her away from her viper and towards the hallway to go to lifestation, for her routine check. With Lee on assignment on another ship that day, Karl was there to make sure she didn't do a runner.

"I really don't think these routine visits are necessary"

"Knowing you, I think it is... Especially that you are carrying the Admiral's first grandchild. He'd chain you to the brig he had to"

"So I've been told. C'mon Helo... You know me better than that"

"That I do, and that's why I agree with them" he earned a glare from her.

Cottle had grown accustomed to Kara's antics, luckily for him, he wasn't the one to put up with her when she gave up drinking and smoking. Nevertheless, he was pleased with how the pregnancy went, and that he had the opportunity to encounter the softer side of Kara Thrace sometimes.

"Just remember not to stress..."

"Trust me, Doc... This whole frakking ship is stressing for me already, I have nothing left to stress about" she cut him off as Karl helped her off the reclining chair.

"What is it like? Having a kid?" Kara asked as they walked the hallway back to the quarter. Karl had a moment to think before Kara saw a glint in his eyes as he thought of his daughter.

"Like I was born again. I suddenly have a new purpose" a wide smile grew on his face.

"You will be a terrific mother, Kara. Don't you dare forget that" he added as he pulled her into his arms and gave her a hug.

_"You are to return to flight status, Captain" Kara's eyes gleamed as the words flowed. Lee had told his father that Kara was ready, and told him that it would mean much more if the Old Man himself deliver the news. Bill was more than happy to do so, he was happy to see her back on track, and Lee was happy to have his best pilot back on the cockpit, and to have his partner back on her feet. While Kara... well, she missed flying very much and if only the Admiral didn't call her by rank earlier, she would had jumped and gave the Old Man a bone-crushing-hug._

_"Thank you, Sir"_

_"Starbuck?" the Admiral spoke again._

_"Sir?"_

_"Glad to have you back" Bill gave her a smile with a look that said he was a proud father._

_"So am I, Sir" her lips twitched into a smile. She was turning to leave, Lee was waiting for her outside his father's quarter, but she stooped and turned to face the older Adama._

_"Sir... Thank you for not giving up on me"_

_Bill held his gaze at Kara's, his face softened as he took his glasses off, giving a clearer view to the bright blue eyes that matched Lee's._

_"I will never give up on you" he paused for a heartbeat, "And neither would Lee"_

* * *

><p>Kara reached the other side of the bed, but only to find an empty space. She shook her head, expecting to see Lee watching her sleep as he always did. She turned to look at the clock, 1835 hours, <em>that was a long nap<em>. Her eyes focused on the photo fixed to the wall by their bed, the day she married Lee Adama. Somehow Karl managed to get his hands on a camera and captured the moment. She smiled as she toyed with the wedding ring circling her finger.

_"Are... Are you sure?" _

_Gods, Kara! The man is proposing and that's your answer? She was kicking herself as Lee nervously waited for her answer._

_"I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't sure, Kara" she was certain she saw the man sweat as he swallowed hard. She stared at him for a moment longer, still amazed by the unexpected question. It was very Lee..._

_"Kara?" his eyes held the question he asked only moments earlier. Kara reached for his jaw, while keeping her gaze on the pair of captivating blue eyes of his. A smile formed on her face._

_"Even without a ring or a baby, I'd marry you"_

Kara let out a small laugh as she summoned the memory of that particular night not too long ago. Their wedding was a small one, only family and their closest friends were present. But it was everything they ever wanted for their union. It was... _perfect_. They had come a long way, from Zak, to the end of the worlds, to Anders and Dee, to New Caprica and back again. _ Zak..._ her mind flew to the memories of the other Adama. If they survived those ordeals, Kara was certain they'd survive almost anything.

She waited for a few minutes, as if willing for the hatch to open and Lee to walk in. Cursing under her breath when it didn't come true, she dragged herself out of bed. She really missed flying, and her viper had been getting visits from her more often. Sometimes she'd sit under the wings for hours, sometimes she'd be talking to her unborn child as she visit her viper, and sometimes, Lee would find her staring at her viper with a longing look in her eyes.

* * *

><p><em>"You are to return to flight status, Captain" the Admiral's words earlier rang loudly in her ears. For the first time since she had been back, Kara was in her flightsuit walking with her head held high towards the hangar deck. There was something in her that stirred to live as she laid eyes on her viper. She couldn't believe she almost threw everything she loved away because of Leoben's mind frak. She felt weak that she would let him damaged her that way, to let her forget the very essence of herself and hurt others she cared the most. <em>

_The deck crew gave her a wide berth as she walked the deck, Galen, however, stepped up to her with a relieved smile._

_"Welcome back, Captain" he greeted her and walked with her towards her viper._

_"Thank you, Chief. Good to be back. Thanks for looking after my bird"_

_"Just doing my job, Sir" he replied as he moved away. Kara nodded at him, her gaze turned and was met with Kat's. The two women shared a knowing look as their eyes connected. And with a tilt of the head Kara threw a smile at her, which was returned in the same manner by the other woman. _

_Lee stood by his viper next to Kara's, a wide smile decorated his face as be laid eyes on Kara by her viper._

_"Well well, I'm flying with the CAG on my first day back?"_

_"What can I say, Starbuck? I have to make sure you don't do anything stupid to the other pilots" he grinned at her. She tilted her head towards him._

_"Well you better keep up, Apollo. I don't like waiting" _

_Lee chuckled as he watched her moved up the ladder, she's back, his mind said._

_Kara took a deep breath as she seated herself in the cockpit. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, taking it all in, the chatter in the hangar deck, that familiar humm that made Galactica home, the curve of her viper seat, and when she opened her eyes, she knew she was home._

"Multiple DRADIS contact!" Bill heard the report as soon as DRADIS detected the Cylons.

Alarm blared through every corner of the ship while everyone moved to Condition One. But before any further command could be carried out, Galactica took a hit.

"Sir, a Cylon basestar is on top of us" came the report.

"Where is Apollo?" Bill calmly asked, keeping a cool head.

"He just left Colonial One, Sir, and will be joining the alert vipers" Dee answered quickly.

"We'll hold as long as possible, get the rest of the fleet to jump"

"Galactica, Apollo" Lee called out, "Galactica, you have incoming! A lone heavy raider. It got out of our weapons range, Sir!"

"How the frak did they get so close?" Saul shifted his gaze to meet Bill's as he waited for an impact to come, but it never did.

"Galactica you have been boarded! I repeat, you have been boarded!"

* * *

><p><em>Damn, that frakking siren is loud! <em>Kara was in the hallway on the way to the hangar deck when Galactica was first hit. She tried to get herself up to CIC to find out what was going on as another hit struck. _Lee is still out there_, she couldn't shake the bad feeling she had brewing in her stomach. At that moment she hated her heavy body. She was fit, she was fast, but she had an unborn child inside her, and she couldn't be her usual reckless Starbuck.

She ran as carefully and as fast as she possibly could towards the CIC, but somewhere in the hallway, someone grabbed her from the side. Her reflex made her grabbed onto the nearest object. She wished for something sharp, but at that moment a broomstick would have to do. She flipped the stick and struck her attacker. As she turned again to hit the stick, breaking the broom head, she was faced with a number Three.

"Not bad for a preggor" D'Anna hissed at her. _Frak! We've been boarded._ Kara went on full alert, carefully looking from the corners of her eyes for more Cylons.

"Bring it on, bitch!" Kara clutched onto her wooden weapon and striked, hitting D'Anna on the head, and with a little twirl she managed to hit her again on the stomach, causing D'Anna to bend forward as pain jolted through her abdomen. Without mercy, Kara drove one end of the stick and impale the Cylon before she had a chance to recover.

"Kara!" Karl ran towards her and did not stop until he saw the lifeless Cylon faced down on the floor, blood pooling beneath the body. That moment he said a little praised for all the training Kara had insisted in doing throughout her pregnancy, while adding a mental note not to keep anything sharp or long near her when she's angry.

He immediately pulled Kara to stand behind him as he saw shadows came into view from where the Three came from.

"Go!" he whispered as he signaled a direction. He gave one of his guns to Kara.

"How many?" she asked as she tried to stay hidden behind the stacked cases. Karl was across on the other side, hiding behind another stack, he indicated that he had seen three.

Kara nodded as Karl counted the Cylon's steps. On the fifth step Karl opened fire, followed by Kara. And thanks to her marksmanship, two of them down, and one was hit by Karl's bullets.

"Nice shot" Kara stood up with much difficulty. Karl stepped to help her but another gun fired, the next thing she realized was Karl's blood on her hands. Her eyes widened as Karl's hands went to the side of his abdomen, and blood seeped through his dress blues.

"You!" she turned to find an Eight with a gun in hand. She aimed the gun at the skinjob but the Eight put another bullet in Karl's leg, he hit the floor only split seconds later.

"I wouldn't want to do that if I were you" the Eight coldly said, gun still aimed at Karl.

Karl's vision blurred, all he knew was an Eight shot him, he knew it wasn't his Sharon because she was screaming from the other end of the hallway trying to reach her wounded husband. She was on the way to find Kara, thinking Karl was still down at his new post. She ran as fast as she could towards the other Eight. Kara kept still, as much as she wanted to plant a bullet on the Eight's head, she feared for her friend. The Eight moved fast and disarmed her before she grabbed Kara away as Sharon was getting closer to them.

"No no no, Karl!" Sharon went to his side, but as shaky as he was, he grabbed his wife's hand.

"Go... get Ka... Kara" his sentence was broken, but he wouldn't take no as an answer. With a heavy heart Sharon squeezed his hand and assured him that she would be back as soon as possible.

She rounded the corner and was met with a Six, who shot at Sharon. Forced to take cover, she took another peek, but the shot kept coming. From her right, a team of Marines closing by. She signalled to them, indicating how many there were.

_This isn't right_. Sharon couldn't shake the odd feeling in her stomach. They had no reason to take Kara. _Why?_

"Now! Move! Move! Move!" the team leader screamed the command. The Marines ran past her and chased, entering a storage bay, but only to find that they had gone.

"Frak!" Sharon cursed under her breath.

"...this is Vincent, the Cylons are gone" Sharon only heard half of the report the marine made before she managed to inform him that Kara was taken.

* * *

><p>"All birds are in, Sir" Dee reported.<p>

Bill eyed the DRADIS screen, he nodded as he turned his gaze to Saul.

"Jump"

* * *

><p>To be continued...<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

_Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and thank you for your feedback, they are greatly appreciated. I'm happy you're still reading this story and I'm glad that you enjoyed it._

_I hope you enjoy this chapter too :)_

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 6<strong>

"I need medic!" Sharon screamed her lungs out as she put pressure her husband's bleeding wounds, eyes darted to the marines to radio the medics. Karl looked pale… dangerously pale… Sharon's hands were bloodied, eyes blurred from tears.

Eric Vincent, the squad leader delivered the news about Kara's abuduction just after the last civilian ship jumped. There was silence on the other side of the comm line, and not too long after, once all birds were in, the jump was made. Sharon knew even if the message was relayed way ahead of time, they couldnt stay. They'd have to figure out another way to get her back, and with that thought, she rushed back to Karl.

"He'll be okay, he's in good hands" a paramedic steadied her as Karl was being lifted on a stretcher. The medics had found Sharon by Karl's side, and refusing to let go until one of the medics peeled her off her husband as Karl lost a lot of blood and lost conciousness. Another team of medics tended to the Cylons, confirming their deaths and took them away, leaving the pools of blood behind. One of them cringed at the sight of the Three impaled by the wooden stick.

As the medics went back to lifestation, a team of specialists arrived with Lee in tow, he had come straight to the storage dock to assess the damage, and they soon grew concern as they looked at the bloodied mess. With tears still streaming down her eyes, Sharon carefully approached the Major.

"He'll be okay, Athena. Helo is a strong man" he added a firm grip to her shoulder as he passed her. Sharon squeezed her eyes, _he had not heard_.

"Apollo..." her voice was weak, but he stopped and turned back to face her.

"They took Starbuck" Sharon managed to get her voice steady. Lee's heart skipped a bit as he heard it.

"What?"

"Both Helo and I tried to get to her... Helo got here first and..." he stopped as she couldn't bring herself to say what happened.

"She tried to defend herself but the Eight kept putting bullet on Helo..." she continued as she raked her hand through her hair.

"We chased them but they got too far..." Lee didnt need to hear the rest, he turned quickly, heading towards CIC.

"Apollo... There is something else" she stopped him on his track.

"I noticed liquid on the floor... " she paused for a heartbeat, looking for another way to deliver the news, but when her mind drew a blank, she swallowed hard.

"She is going through labour"

Lee wasnt sure if he heard it right, his heart was pounding so hard that it was the only thing he heard. He didnt waste time and ran to find his father. _Not again!_ Lee's mind screamed in despair as his feet automatically carried him down the halls of Galactica. This was all too familiar for him, he had been there before, he had touched the edge of that downward spiral when Kara didn't make it to the emergency jump point. Hoshi's report rang loudly in his ears as he involuntarily recalled the event.

_Gods! And she's in labour. _The other piece of news made him pick up his pace. He knew that two weeks to due date was an estimate, one that Cottle had warned may not be exact, especially if there were added stress. Hearing the news made him feel guilty that he had not been there for her. He was on call since the beginning of that week, in case the baby decided to come early, although Cottle expected the baby to come late instead, but nevertheless, he had been busy, and had not been able to spend as much time as he'd liked to with Kara. Running towards his father, he shoved all thoughts and fears aside, he needed to get his brain working on a plan to get her back... fast.

"Athena?" Cally came in with more gear and had a confused look on her face. Sharon just gave her a look, eyes red with tears, she wasnt in the mood for a talk, she just wanted Karl to be okay.

"Yes, Cally?" she held back her tears and held her head high as she faced her.

"I thought you were..." her voice trailed off.

"I thought you finished early?" she said again, and it was Sharon's turn to give her a confused look.

"I checked in with the daycare to make sure everyone was okay. They said that you finished early and..." Cally didnt get a chance to finish her sentence before blood drained from Sharon's face and horror filled her eyes.

"No! Hera!"

* * *

><p><em>"No? How about Aidan?" Lee asked. Kara just shook her head before she pursed her lips together.<em>

_"Max?"_

_"Lucas"_

_"Marcus" they kept bouncing names off each other._

_"What if it's a girl?" he asked, his eyes held a curious gaze._

_"You know what? We'll know when the time comes"_

_"And when is that?"_

_"One day, Apollo... One day" Kara snuggled into his neck, inhaling his scent as they laid together under the New Caprican sun, letting the warm wind caress their naked skin._

_"Oh? Starbuck going domestic? That I gotta see" he kissed the tip of her ear playfully._

_Kara lifted her head and rolled onto her stomach, propping herself with her elbows as she stared down at Lee with a smile on her face. He let out a small laugh, but quickly turned quiet as Kara's face turned serious._

_"For now I'd like to stay the way we are. In the future... one day... I will have the courage to give life, and when I do, I want no one else but you to be by my side"_

_._

"We have to jump back!" Lee was furious at his father. Only moments earlier he was down at storage dock receiving the news from Sharon. Bill knew his son would come straight for him once he heard, and decided to take the matter within the confines of his personal quarter. It was a decision he had to take with a heavy heart, but what good would they be to Kara if they died then?

"That's suicide" Saul cut him off.

"My wife and my unborn child is abroad the base star! Your future grandchild! My wife is in labour!" he screamed at his father, eyes burning with rage and desperation. There was a sharp tug on Bill's chest as he hears the additional piece of news about the early labour. At that moment Lee felt helpless, like a little kid who threw a tantrum because he couldnt get what he wanted. But it wasnt just what he wanted anymore, it was about his life, his family, everything that made him Lee, Apollo, and a man.

"You knew! You knew she was taken and you still ordered the jump" his finger pointed at the Admiral. Saul felt the pain, and for once, he moved to comfort the younger Adama.

"No... don't!" Lee snapped and moved away from him. Bill could hear his heart crumbled as he saw his son so helpless, military upbringing aside, he was still his father, and seeing his son in such state broke his heart. His breath caught at the thought of Kara going through labour without support, and if he could, he wouldn't have left.

"You knew we couldnt stay" Bill almost didnt recognize his own voice as it carried so much despair with it.

Lee stared at his father, throwing icy blue glare towards the man. He knew his father took the right decision as the Admiral of the fleet, but as a father, he just abandoned his daughter and future grandchild.

"It killed me to give that order" Bill spoke again, this time his eyes glazed with tears.

"But we know Kara is strong, she will hold until we get to her. If we stayed, we'd die, and there would be no one left to save her"

Before Lee could say anything else, a loud clanking sound interrupted them.

"We have to jump back!" Sharon didnt care about protocol at that moment. She barged in, panting after running to see Hera and was told that she had picked her up earlier. She went around to ask a few more people and they confirmed seeing her with Hera in her arms.

"Mind your place Lieutenant!" Saul barked at her, but Bill raised his hand and silently indicating Saul to be quiet.

"Explain" he requested, while turning his gaze to Sharon. She took a deep breath as she tried to hold back her tears, she felt everything were slipping away from her and she had no way to hold on to them.

"Another number Eight posed as me... She... She picked up Hera from day care and took her" they could hear panic seeped into her voice. Sharon wasnt the type to panic, but with Karl's life hanging by a thread, Hera was missing, and the failure to stop Kara's abduction, the stone wall started to crack.

_So what? They took Kara because they can?_ Or perhaps because she was at the wrong place at the wrong time and she was on their escape route? For all she knew, the Cylons were aware of how much Kara meant to the Adamas, and how much it would cripple them if Kara was gone. Maybe it wasnt going to be an instant effect, but it would hurt them. A million other unanswered questions filled her head, along with great concern for her daughter. She needed to go back.

"Sir... Dad... Please... We have to jump back" Lee pleaded, this time Sharon had that silent plea in her eyes as well.

* * *

><p><em>"No frakking way, Helo. You are not seeing me in a frakking pink dress, understood?" Kara threw a death glare at her best friend.<em>

_"I was only going through what's available here, Kara. Plus, I can't see you in pink. It'll be a visual hazzard" his reply earned him a mean right hook._

_"I can just go back to Pegasus, you know... And you would be left without a bestman... well... in this case, woman" she pointed her finger at him. He sighed as he rummaged through more clothes in the bag he had in hands. This was the man who managed to find Starbuck a dress for her date with Apollo in less than a day, and he couldn't find one for Kara to wear to his own wedding? Sharon had offered to help, but he was stubborn and did not want her to do his side of the ceremony, including finding an outfit for his bestman._

_"Can't I turn up in my uniform?" _

_"Hell no. This is my wedding, and I'll make sure I'm not the only one who has to make an effort to clean up nicely" he grabbed another garment from the bag. This time it was a purple-ish-blue dress. Gorgeous colour, Kara thought. _

_"Fine... I can work with that" she motioned towards the dress that caught her eyes._

_"Consider yourself special, Helo. You and Lee are the only men I'd wear a dress for" she strutted with dress in hand, towards the temporary quarter Karl had secured for her and Lee aboard Galactica._

_"Thanks, Starbuck" a grin decorated his face. I'm getting married, he couldn't stop saying that to himself since the day Sharon said "yes". Kara was the first person he told, and of course, he asked her to stand by his side for the ceremony as she was after all, his bestfriend. No one but Kara would take that place next to him as he took Sharon's hand in marriage before the gods eyes. _

_"Sharon Agathon" a wide smile formed in his face as he whispered the name, liking the sound of it._

_._

Lee found Sharon in life station by her husband's side. Karl looked pale and weak lying on the bed with tubes hooked into him. The sight broke his heart, he knew how Kara would feel about it, and over the years, Lee had grown close to the man himself, considering him as one of the only people he could trust with his life. When Kara failed to report to their emergency jump point when the Cylons hit New Caprica, Karl had been there for him. Seeing the tall man lying on the bed and looking so fragile made him feel like he had lost a solid ground to stand on.

"Sir" Sharon stood as Lee came into sight, but Lee put his hand out, telling her to sit back down.

"How is he?"

"Cottle managed to stabilize him..." her voice trailed off as she trailed her finger on his, wishing that he'd wake up and hold her in his arms again, telling him that they'd get Hera back.

"He's a strong man, Athena. He'll pull through" Lee repeated his words earlier to assure her, but this time, his voice betrayed him. He watched as Sharon silently stared at Karl.

"We have to go back" Lee murmured. An hour ago he left his father's quarter, angry, frustrated, and desperate. Sharon wasnt much different, Lee saw the rage in her eyes as she re-assessed the situation in her head.

Then without a word she stood up and walked back towards the hallway.

"Athena? Where are you going?" Lee started to follow her down the hall, catching up to her quickening steps.

"To see the Admiral"

"He'll just throw you out again, you know. And if you're lucky, he'd let you off without a trip to the brig" he was calmer then, having a little bit of time cool down.

Sharon spun and stopped, Lee almost crashed into her.

"He will listen this time"

* * *

><p>"My answer is still no, Lieutenant" Bill said before she even said a word. Saul had left earlier, at least they could talk without Lee getting the urge to deck him, something he picked up from Kara.<p>

"Let me go, I will get all of them back, Admiral"

"We've been through this" Bill sighed. Until they found a solid plan, they wouldnt risk going back, no matter how hard it was for him given his daughter in law and soon to be grandchild's lives were on the line.

"Trust me. Just let me go" she said again.

"If she goes, I'll go" Lee chimed in.

"No" Sharon and Bill said in unison. Bill shared a confused look with Lee at Sharon's response.

"No?" Lee asked, eyes turned to Sharon.

"I have a way in, Sir. I can get to them myself and I will bring them home... But we don't have the luxury to wait, the baby is coming, we have to move now" there was determination in her voice.

Bill took a deep breath as he took his glasses off and rested them on the table.

"Im listening" he finally said.

Sharon stole a glance towards Lee before she turned to the Admiral and nodded.

"Kill me"

* * *

><p>To be continued...<p>

* * *

><p><em>I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I've added an extra spacer for the flashback as suggested, I hope it helped for easier reading. More on Kara soon :)<em>


	7. Chapter 7

_Thank you for reading and reviewing :) I had several plot outlines before finally skimming them down to only two, and finally deciding which one to go with. I hope you enjoy it._

_Btw, sorry if you get double alert, I realized a mistake and had to fix it or it wouldn't make sense._

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 7<strong>

"You'd be in there without back up!" Lee stood from his seat as he heard her idea. He agreed with his father regarding the plan. _There was too much at stake._

"I know the Cylon ship better than any of you. I know how to get to places where they'd most likely hold Kara and Hera" she quickly answered.

"They'd know when you download, wouldn't they?"

"Yes... But they won't hurt me"

"How can you be certain?"

"I'm not. But I know they wouldn't turn me away if I download" Sharon kept his gaze on Lee's.

"How will you get back?" the older Adama asked, still seated on his seat.

"I will find a way"

Bill took a deep breath as he assessed the situation. Every fiber of his body screamed for him to say yes, anything to save Kara, but the more sensible part of him said otherwise.

"No" Sharon's eyes widened at his answer.

"Your download to a new body would give the enemy access to our data and details"

"With all due respect, Admiral. Boomer was here before me, I hold her memories, she knows the ins and outs of Galactica as well as I do"

Bill went quiet for a moment, weighing the situation once again. He had been through every possible rescue scenarios in his head, and none had a good outcome.

"I have limited time, Admiral. My download is **not** instant. It would require time, and it's the time we don't have if we don't act now. The longer we leave it, the closer Starbuck is to having your future grandson aboard the baseship" she reminded him.

Bill did feel the sharp tug on his chest as Sharon mentioned his status as grandfather to be, but he knew resurrection will not only put the fleet in danger, but Sharon and Kara's lives as well.

"No" came the dreaded answer again. It hurt the Admiral to give that decision, but he couldn't let Sharon do the proposed plan, not without a higher success chance. Before he could speak further, Lee leaned forward.

"Then give us a raptor... Please" Lee pleaded.

Bill stared at his son, despite his stone cold outer look, he was not too far from how Lee was feeling. Half an hour ago, he did come up with something that _may_ be executable. The plan was still high risk, but at that point they didn't have a lot of options. Maybe this time he'd listen to Lee's plan...

"Sir... Hera is important to them, she is the key to Cylon procreation without resurrection" Lee reminded his father.

"And Starbuck, Sir... According to Leoben, holds an important role to finding Earth. We cannot leave them there" Sharon added.

"A raptor and a bit of time... That's all we're asking" Lee pleaded again.

* * *

><p>"Get me the frak out of here!" Kara screamed her lungs out. It helped with the pain from her contractions too. She was taken to a cell where there were not much room to move.<p>

"Baby is coming soon, Kara" a Three mentioned.

"Shut up, bitch!" her angry eyes stayed with the blonde until an Eight came in with a child Kara knew very well.

"Look, Hera... You will have someone to play with soon" but Hera kept crying. Hera's gaze went to Kara with a lot of unanswered questions.

"Hera, honey... Listen to me, we'll get out of here soon... Okay?" Kara's soothing voice managed to reduce her crying into sobs. Hera nodded slowly, as if unsure if she was allowed to nod.

The Eight shot a glare at Kara before she cradled Hera closer to her.

"Mommy's here, Hera. You're safe" the Eight tried to convince her, but Hera didn't respond.

"Amazing... Despite being biologically identical, she knows you're not her" the Three remarked.

The Eight didn't look impressed, she turned to face Kara, while clutching Hera tightly.

"Good to see you again, Starbuck"

Kara studied her face, she looked like any other Eight she came across with.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but Hera, bub and I aren't staying on this ship for long" she snorted at the Cylon. _As soon as I can think of a plan to get out._

"You don't recognize me, do you, Starbuck?" the Eight moved closer. Kara studied her face again, _still looked like an Eight..._

"Boomer?" she took a wild guess. The Eight's lips twitched into a smile.

"Very good" Kara's jaw clenched involuntarily at the answer.

"Leave, bitch! While you still can" Kara's voice was cold, it reminded Boomer of what her sisters and brothers told her about Kara's escape from New Caprica.

"You know, Starbuck... My siblings are not too happy to see you... Death is a traumatic experience... One that we cannot forget after a download" she paused as her eyes locked on Kara's.

"You killed a lot of them in cold blood down in New Caprica..." Boomer let her voice trailed off, and Kara understood what she was implying. She had to get out there... fast.

The Cylons left her alone before a Six came in, she was greeted as she came in, Kara heard her name, _Caprica_. She stared at Kara like she had never seen a human being before. Kara hissed at her, but instead of moving away or having a comeback at her, Caprica shed a tear before she left. Kara thought it was an odd encounter, but decided to shrug it off, she had more urgent matter to worry about.

_Hey you up there... If you can hear me... If you have some awesome plans for me, now is the time._ Kara tilted her head upwards. She waited, but when there was nothing but silence, she sighed in disappointment.

_Looks like it's just us. _Kara rubbed her swollen belly. Kara had never thought being a mother could be such a mission, she knew the baby was coming, she knew there was a slight chance that she may need to give birth on a Cylon ship, but she'd give it all her might to fight her way out while she still could. She silently wished that Lee was there to hold her hand, giving her the push she needed, but he wasn't, and her mind went to Zak, she made a silent prayer that Zak was there in spirit to give her strength and hope. She held on to every single bit of happy memories she had on Galactica, she was determined to get back to her ship.

* * *

><p><em>"Starbuck Athena. Just leave! There are too many of them" Sharon took a glance over to where her ECO was. The sight of him unmoving made her feel uneasy. The pilotECO Lefteye took a hit to the head during impact and lost consciousness, leaving Sharon to man the damaged ship herself._

_"That's a negative, Athena. Get you bony ass into gear and fix your ship. We're getting the frak out of here" she shot another raider down._

_"Alto how are you holding up?" Kara looked towards her wingman, the newly assigned pilot._

_"Shooting some toasters down, Starbuck. You better catch up!" came the answer. Kara's lips curled into a smile, proud of her pilot._

_"Where the hell is my squad?" Kara grew anxious. She had been on CAP with Alto when Cylons hit, both Starbuck and Alto engaged the raiders when Sharon jumped back from her recon mission straight in the middle of the dogfight and got shot. Alert vipers were on the way as civilian ships were instructed to jump away. Sharon had tried to fix the raptor but had no success. Looking at the situation, Sharon knew they may have to be left behind, if... IF she could fix her raptor before she was killed in that time, she'd jump to the emergency jump point the fleet were jumping into, but Kara was not about to give up on her, they weren't leaving another crew behind. _

_"Starbuck Apollo. ETA forty seconds. Hang in there"_

.

"Leave as soon as you drop me off"

"I know the plan" Lee quickly replied as he took the raptor off the dock. His father finally granted a raptor equipped with a Cylon transponder for them to take, and twelve hours to complete the mission.

"Don't do anything stupid" she warned him.

"Gods, Athena! Despite being married to Starbuck, I'm not insane"

"Just making sure" Sharon let out a smirk escaped her lips. Lee shook his head as he took them further away from the fleet.

"FTL ready" Sharon reported.

"Galactica Apollo. Commence jump in five... four... three... two..."

Lee stole a quick glance towards the ship he called home before he returned to the flight controls in front of him.

"Jump"

* * *

><p>"You gave them a raptor..." Laura stated the obvious as Bill poured himself a glass of whiskey. He had watched Lee and Sharon's raptor disappeared on DRADIS as they made the jump.<p>

"They'd find a way to get on that baseship either way. I'd rather that they do it on my terms. I cannot let Lee kill his pilot, nor for Sharon to kill herself if she could. There was too much at stake" he sank into the spot next to her.

"Tell me I did the right thing..." he met her gentle gaze. Even the greatest men needed assurance sometimes.

Laura gave him a smile as her hand rested onto his thigh. She knew that he had been working hard to come up with a doable scenario to save Kara and Hera, when Lee proposed the improvised plan with the raptor, Bill did fill in the gaps they've missed and granted them permission. Kara's life was on the line after all, Bill wouldn't stay put. She scooted closer to the Admiral.

"We leave no one behind" there was regret on her voice as she remembered the many ships she was forced to leave in the early hours of her presidency.

* * *

><p><em>Think, godsdamn it! This is not where you want to have your baby! C'mon, Thrace!<em>

_"I thought you go by Adama now" a voice said, and in a blink of an eye she found herself in her old apartment back in Caprica, and found herself no longer pregnant. A man she was once so familiar with stood in front of her. He was every bit Kara remembered him by. Tears pooled in her eyes as she laid eyes on that smile._

_"Zak?" despite not knowing what was going on, she felt oddly calm at the sight of him._

_"What are you doing here, Kara?"_

_"You're not supposed to be here" he spoke again, this time with concern written all over his eyes._

_"I'm not trying to be! What is this anyway? Another Cylon trick? It's a sick one if it is"_

_"No Cylon trick, it's just me" he moved closer to her._

_She studied him, as if waiting for Leoben to take over his shape. But everything about the whole experience calmed her down. She looked around her apartment, it was like when they were still living there._

_"You're not real, are you?" she asked._

_"Maybe... Maybe not... But it's not important. What important is that your situation is very real, Kara" he expressed his concern._

_"Tell me about it" she grumbled._

_"What are you gonna do about it?" this time he touched her hand lightly before he took her hand in his. He stroked every finger until he stopped at the wedding band._

_"Zak... I'm... I'm sorry" her breath hitched as she realized it was the symbol of her marriage to Lee that Zak was lingering at._

_"Don't be... I'm not. Have you ever thought that maybe you were meant to meet and be with Lee... Through me?" he smiled and kissed her knuckles. Kara shook her head weakly._

_"Tell me what to do, I'm stuck" this time she couldn't stop her tears from falling._

_"You have people who love you dearly, Kara. Be strong for them, for your baby... Be strong until you can fight again... And have faith in them" he started to move away from her._

_"No, Zak! Don't leave me"_

_"I never left, Kara. You always have me with you"_

_"Zak! I'm serious... Please don't leave me" but he kept moving away from her, and by then he was out of reach._

_"Be strong, Kara" he whispered before he disappeared into thin air._

"Zak!" she flailed her hand around, but this time it felt different. She was welcomed back to her reality with another contraction. A low growl came from her, she knew she was running out of time. _What was that?_ She wished Zak was real, but it could be just a fragment of her memory of him making conversation in her head, letting her mind retreated to a save haven away from her troubles. As her eyes adjusted back to the red hue of her surroundings, she recognized the person standing in front of her.

"Hello Kara" Leoben greeted her.

* * *

><p>"I see you've come home"<p>

Sharon took her sidearm and pointed it at the Three in front of her.

"I'm here to take my daughter back" Sharon kept her eyes on her opponent. The Three she recognized as D'Anna smiled, as if not believing Sharon's motive of being there.

"Hera is home now, Athena. She's with her family"

"This is not home, and you're not her family. Tell me where she is" she demanded.

D'Anna moved a step closer to Sharon with a smile still decorating her face. Another Eight appeared from behind D'Anna. Sharon's face hardened at the sight of the Eight that sent her husband to lifestation. Without a word, she swiftly moved her sidearm and shot her dead before pointing her gun back at D'Anna.

The Three's eyes widened as it happened so quickly. She turned to see the Eight's lifeless body on the floor, with a bullet hole on her chest.

"Now I'm asking you one more time, where is my daughter?" she raised her voice.

D'Anna moved carefully now as she kept her gaze at Sharon.

"Hera is important to us" she spoke. Sharon felt a presence behind her and knew straight away from the look of D'Anna's face that she had her cornered.

"Come home to us, Athena" D'Anna held her hand out as a Six moved to Sharon's side, quickly disarming Sharon's gun and turned it to point at her head.

* * *

><p><em>"Kara hated that" Karl let out a chuckle as Lee held a pair of heels in his hands. He had been going through Kara's things, trying to re-live the moments they had together. Lee gave a weak smile towards the other man.<em>

_"She had to wear one of those for a week one time..." Karl continued, a smile formed in his face. Lee gave him a confused look before trying to imagine Kara in heels for longer than a few hours._

_"Triad game gone bad... she lost a bet to me" the other man explained._

_"After that week she beat the crap out of me in combat training once we were back at camp" he continued. Lee gave him a knowing look, not surprised by the outcome. Both men weren't close, they were brought together by a mutual friend, but Lee didn't know her the way Karl did, who knew the greener version of Kara, before she was Starbuck._

_"How are you doing?" Karl asked as he walked into Lee and Kara's living area._

_"Missing her... badly. Did the Old Man send you all the way here to check up on me?" Lee snorted._

_"I come to see if you'd like some company... I know I do"_

_Lee turned quiet as he carefully put the pair of heels back to where it came from, and went to grab a couple of glasses._

_"Drink?" he raised a bottle of whiskey._

_"Sure"_

_Lee hadn't slept properly since they jumped away from the rendezvous point without Kara three weeks ago. The man was lost, exhausted, and in despair without his other half. Karl took a deep breath, he hated seeing Lee like that, he was usually the one to keep the insane Kara straight. To see Lee losing himself almost felt like he was losing all of Kara. Lee was the last connection to his best friend. Until they could do a rescue mission to New Caprica, they had to hang on to whatever they had left._

_"Tell me more about her" Lee asked as he handed a glass to Karl._

_Karl took a deep breath as he summoned his distant memories of Kara. Images of the younger version of the feisty woman filled his head, he chuckled at some of it. _

_"She's always there for me... bailed me out of some bad situations a lot of times..." he cleared his throat as he shook his head. "Well, she may not have conventional ways to get you out of a mess, but if she cares about you, she'd do every stupid thing she can think of to get you out"_

_"Sounds like her to me"_

_"Tell me about her" Karl asked in return. He had heard about Zak and Lee Adama from Kara, but it wasn't until Lee set foot in Galactica that he met the man._

_"What can I say... We started off on the booze" Lee summoned the night they almost frak in Zak's presence. But it was the chemistry between them that he cared the most for, the magnetic field that built around them, it was something out of the world Lee knew._

_"She was..." Lee paused as he thought of how to explain to his friend, but he was speechless, no word could possibly describe how or what Kara was to him._

_"She was Kara... Simply her. I fell in love with her, not her looks, not her traits nor flaws, not her insane piloting skills, just her..." he stared into his glass as the amber liquid swirled._

_Karl took a sip out of his drink. He knew from the very start that the two would make a strong couple if things worked out, he knew how Lee felt about her before they even started, it was written all over his face, but it was just something about Kara he needed to hear from another person. When Lee reported to the Admiral about Kara's failure to show up, it weren't just the Adama men who heard the sound of their heart shattering, Karl did too. This was the woman who took a bullet for him, his bestfriend, his rock to lean on when the whole world turned on him, the first amongst friends to acknowledge Sharon as his partner. When Kara didn't show, Karl re-lived the moment he cradled the bloodied Kara in his arms, slowly and painfully hanging on to any piece of consciousness to stay awake._

_"I left her there, Helo... What bastard would do that?"_

_"She knew our plan. She knows you didn't leave her there"_

_"Does she? We left without a fight" he downed another gulp._

_"Apollo... Kara is my friend... I miss her too... Your father misses her terribly" he paused, as if waiting for Lee to say something, but he stayed silent._

_"She's alive down there, and when she's back... She will need you... So for her sake get yourself together. You have a battlestar under your command. No one is going to respect you if they see you like this. Starbuck would kick your lazy ass for that!"_

_"You think she's alive?" Lee asked, eyes sought for assurance from the other man._

_"Starbuck would tear down a baseship herself before she goes down. You of all people should know that. She speaks very highly of you... I hope you live up to it"_

.

Lee stared blankly as he sat by Karl's bed. He flexed and clenched his hands a few times before he clasped onto his knees, trying to stop the nervous tell. Karl laid still, the only movement was his chest rising up and down steadily as he breathed.

"You better wake up soon, Helo. Kara would be pissed if you're not welcoming her back" it was more of a plea.

His mind was restless knowing Kara was out there without him, going through labour by herself. His mind soon went to a more frantic state at the thought of leaving Sharon aboard the baseship, with no back up, and no communication, while her husband laid in bed fighting for his life. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, but it was that he agreed the plan to leave her alone and let her carry out the mission herself.

His order was clear, go in, drop her off, jump back. Sharon would have to find a way back herself, either stealing a captured raptor, or get on a heavy raider, which ever worked. Sharon had told the Adamas about the captured raptor aboard baseships and that it would be an option. Lee was to meet with them at the rendezvous point with a raptor, and escort them back to Galactica. If they didn't make it there within the twelve hours window that the Admiral gave them, Lee knew she failed.

"They'll be back" he said, trying to convince Karl as well as himself.

* * *

><p>To be continued...<p>

* * *

><p><em>In the original story I wrote, Sharon did resurrect in the baseship, but while I was writing the end of previous chapter, I was also expanding this chapter and writing an alternate line that doesn't involve killing her, it worked out and flowed much better, hence why I've gone down this path, but I decided to keep the resurrection as a possibility as I do like the reasoning it involved. I hope you enjoyed it :)<em>


	8. Chapter 8

_Hello! I hope you all had a good Christmas :) Thank you for reading and reviewing. Sorry for the delay, had family over for holiday, so my priority goes to them._

**CHAPTER 8**

Sharon brought her hands up as Caprica Six pointed the gun to her head. She knew it was going to turn this way when the Three found her while she was moving to the other side of the ship. Sharon had been looking at several places on the baseship, but so far she had not found them yet.

"No need for that, Caprica... She'll come home to us" D'Anna was confident. Sharon didn't blame her, before she turned on the Cylons, she would have that much faith on others too.

"You're right, no need for this" Caprica said before she turned and shot D'Anna in the head instead.

Sharon's gaze followed the fallen Three in shock. She turned her gaze back to Caprica with unspoken questions in need of answers, but she couldn't seem to find her voice.

"Hera is important... I overheard what they're planning to do to her. What they had in mind for her is cruelty even to our own people. I cannot let that happen" Caprica turned to face Sharon, eyes glazed with unshed tears. She had lowered her gun, but it was still pointing at Sharon.

There was silence for a heartbeat before Caprica flipped the gun and offered it back to Sharon, barrel pointing towards herself.

"If you want to see your daughter again and save Kara from the fate Leoben had set for her, you need to trust me" she held the gun in front of Sharon.

Hesitantly, Sharon took the gun from Caprica's hand.

"Why?"

"We've lost our way the moment Cavil planned to hurt the child" she paused before Sharon caught a glimpse of something else in her face.

"That's not all... Tell me the truth. Why are you helping me?" Sharon demanded.

Caprica stopped, she was hesitant, but she knew out of all of them, Sharon would be the first to understand.

"I understand now, your love for humanity..." she paused, unsure on what she was about to say.

"I'm in love with a human"

* * *

><p>Kara froze as the face of her nightmare stood right in front of her. <em>Oh gods...<em> She wanted Zak to come back, but when she didn't hear that familiar voice, her heart started to hammer faster. She wondered if it was him playing a cruel trick on her. _No... Leoben wouldn't... He wouldn't... Would he? _Tears threatened to fall as she thought of her memory of Zak was tainted by the Cylon. _No! _She refused to admit it, she bit back her tears, no one was going to take her sacred memory of Zak from her. Slowly, she settled her gaze on the man who almost destroyed her life, there was so much anger in her that she almost forgot where she was. It was Leoben's voice that brought her nightmares, the same one that sparked anger so violently in herself that she wondered if her body would be able to handle it. If she wasn't held in prison she'd pounce and tear him apart with her bare hands.

Leoben stared at her, fascinated... it truly _scared_ her. For the first time she was scared, not for her, but for her baby. She would fight until there was no life left in her to prevent him putting even a finger on her baby.

"How is Kacey?" he asked, there was a smile behind it. She really wished she could tear him limb to limb, burn the remains and lock that frakked up brain of his somewhere not even the gods themselves could find. She remained quiet, she bit her lips instead, preparing for another contraction.

"Baby is coming soon, Kara..." he circled the cell and stopped until he was in standing in front of her. Kara's hands balled into a tight fists that her knuckles turned white. She was in pain... yes, she was angry... yes, she was scared... yes, but she wasn't about to give Leoben the luxury of witnessing any of it.

"The baby..." before he could finish his sentence Kara heard a snapping noise followed by a thud as Leoben's body fell to the ground.

"You sick son of a bitch!" came a curse from behind him.

"Starbuck!" Kara swore she thought she heard Zak calling her name, but as her vision focused, she found a number Eight in Colonial flight suit scooping Hera back into her arms.

Caprica had deactivated Kara's cell, allowing the Eight to get to her.

"Get off me you toaster!" Kara managed to twist her arm out of Eight's grip.

"Kara! It's me, Athena"

"Yeah? Try harder!" she then noticed Hera had stopped crying and clung tightly to the Eight's neck as she cradled her. Kara squinted her eyes, still not trusting, they all looked the same. She waited for it... The Eight grew impatient.

"Starbuck, c'mon! We have to go!" she said again, she extended one arm towards her. And there it was, the twitch that solely belonged to Athena. Kara had seen it numerous times during Triad games, and she never recalled Boomer doing it. Cylons did have personalities after all.

"Athena" she smiled at her, then her gaze turned to Hera,

"Good you've found her. She kept crying..." she paused as she remembered the shot but soon groaned and gripped Sharon's hand as another contraction hit.

"Helo..." Kara managed to say as she managed her pain.

"Helo is fine" Sharon bit her lip at that, she didn't want Kara to worry more than she already had.

"We have to leave now" Caprica warned them.

"What is she doing here?"

"Long story... She's coming with us" Sharon and Caprica helped Kara to her feet.

"How far apart are your contractions?" Sharon asked as concern splashed all over her face.

"Far enough! I'm not having my baby on a frakking baseship!" Kara knew she was too close, but she had to try.

They went as fast as they possibly could with Kara in tow. Kara knew she still had a little bit of time before she had to start pushing, but she also knew that escaping in her condition would be a struggle. They had to stop to give her a bit of time to manage as contractions hit.

"How much further do we have to go? I don't think baby will hold much longer" Kara gave a warning as she regulated her breathing after the last contraction.

"This way" Caprica guided them into a path. The group quickly turned and made their way to a dock.

"A raptor? Should I even ask?" Kara commented as she laid eyes on a Raptor that was in front of her.

"A captured one, so I do hope your ship look before they shoot"

"Oh frak!" Kara dropped to the ground, hand clutching on the edge of the Raptor's wing.

"No no no, bub... Not yet, okay? Hang in there... Just a little bit more..." Kara tried to sooth the baby as one hand went to caress her stomach.

"Baby's coming..." she raised her gaze to meet Sharon.

"We're almost there, Kara. C'mon" Sharon helped her up. Caprica opened the hatch and helped Hera and Kara inside.

Athena had started the engine as Centurions picked up their movements and had started a pursuit. Caprica strapped Hera on the seat next to Sharon before she carefully took out a blanket from a small compartment to place under Kara.

"Now would be good" Caprica warned Sharon as the Centurions opened fire, she quickly closed the hatch and strapped herself in.

"I know!" she pushed the throttle forward and went out the base star.

* * *

><p>"Son" Bill stood by the raptor's wing just as Lee was about to enter. He straightened and turned towards his father.<p>

"Dad" he took a deep breath. Worry splashed over his eyes.

The Admiral brought his hand to his son's shoulder and gave it a tight squeeze as he looked into his eyes. Lee knew then, how much baggage his father had been carrying being the Admiral of the fleet. He wanted his family safe, as well as the fleet.

"I know, Dad. I'll bring them home" Lee's hand met his father's before he boarded the raptor.

"Keep an eye on Helo" he managed to say as he closed the raptor's hatch.

* * *

><p>Kara still hated the part when they jumped. She clutched her hand to the edge of the seat nearby as they jumped.<p>

"Jump completed" Sharon took a quick glance around.

"Apollo, Athena do you read?" Sharon made a call. There was silence. Sharon ditched her post and went to Kara.

"Starbuck, I need to check, okay?" Kara only nodded as she bit her lip while Sharon checked on her. Only a moment later, her hands gripped on Kara's knees, before passing a glance towards Caprica.

"Starbuck, you will need to start pushing"

"This is Raptor 327. Identify yourself" Sharon heard the comm. and jumped to her controls. Kara's eyes widened as she recognized the voice of her husband.

"Apollo, Athena. Mission accomplished. Bring us home"

Kara's scream swallowed Lee's response, but she knew Lee was happy to hear Kara's voice. Caprica tried to help, but with one angry growl, Kara slapped her hand away.

"Don't you frakking dare!" she hissed at her.

"Sending you jump coordinates" Lee mentioned.

"Copy that, Apollo" she stole a glance at Kara.

"Apollo, we'll need medical unit on standby once we reach Galactica"

"Already done" he paused as he listened to what was happening in the other raptor.

"Okay, Starbuck, one more jump and we're home. Okay?" Sharon's voice was soothing.

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><p>"She's having the baby!" Athena yelled out as she peeked from inside her raptor. Sharon had left her post and assisted Kara as soon as they were aboard Galactica, letting the ship and its crew take care of the rest.<p>

"Hera, sweetie... Caprica is going to help you, okay? Mommy needs to help Kara. Understand?" Sharon nudge her head at Caprica, asking her to unstrapped Hera. She wasn't entirely thrilled having the Six to help her daughter, but given the circumstances, she'd trust her with the task.

"Do you know who took her?" Sharon looked her in the eye as she asked. Caprica blinked and swallowed, taking Hera into her arms.

"Boomer" she quietly answered before she moved to the back of the raptor and took a seat on a spot behind Kara, trying to get out of her line of sight. Sharon only nodded before she turned back towards Kara. Deep down, Sharon somehow knew that it was Boomer.

Lee came running as fast as he could into the Raptor as soon as he jumped out of the other raptor, dodging everyone on his way, but was stopped short next to Kara as he saw Caprica.

"No, Lee! Baby is coming!" Kara grabbed hold of Lee's front part of his flight suit and screamed in pain again. Her eyes sought for Sharon, as if asking what she needed to do, or she just needed another woman's presence, someone who knew what she was going through.

"Starbuck, listen to me... You don't have time to de-board, you will have to give birth here" Sharon kept her gaze on her. When a slight nod came, she grabbed onto her knees.

"Now... Push, Starbuck. C'mon you can do this!" Sharon told her. Ishay came into view by the wing of the raptor. Lee tapped Sharon's shoulder to let her know. She nodded, and was about to let her take over until Kara grabbed her hand and shook her head.

"No... Please, I need you here" she pleaded at the other woman, her other hand went to seek for Lee's for support. He squeezed her hand, kept reminding her that he wasn't going anywhere.

"Caprica. Take care of Hera for a moment, okay? Stay in here. Don't go anywhere without me, or they'll shoot you on sight" Sharon warned her. The Six nodded while keeping Hera in her arms.

Lee took a peek towards Ishay and shook his head. Understanding, she nodded and passed on a bunch of towels and a bucket of warm water.

"I'll be right outside if you need me" she told them. Lee nodded a thank you and heard the Chief ushered the crew away to give them some privacy.

Kara rolled her eyes and was screaming curses. Lee never thought she could string so many curse words together that fast.

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><p>"Bring me that mother frakker, I need something to punch!" Kara was referring to Saul of course.<p>

"Later, Kara right now you can pack that punch for the next push" Lee held her hand tight as she squeezed his.

"C'mon, bub... Mommy really need to get skinny again so she can punch that superior asshole" she gave another push.

"You're almost there!" Sharon told her.

"You're doing great, Kara. Give me another push" Lee kept his hand squeezed.

Kara's other hand tore the strap away from the seat to her right. She had been lying on the raptor floor, having Lee wedged in between her left side and the raptor hatch and Sharon by her legs. One of her hands had been subconsciously holding on to a stray strap from the seat next to her.

"Oh Chief would be pissed" as she looked at the ripped belt in her hands.

"I'm sure he'll forgive you. Now push!"

She groaned and cursed some more as she pushed.

"I am so kicking your ass for this" she gave Lee the Starbuck rebellious look.

"Not until you're done with this" he wiped his wife's sweaty forehead while keeping his other hand on hers. Her other hand had now moved to the edge of the seat, gripping it, hoping that she wouldn't tear that apart too.

"Kara you are almost there. Give me one big push" Sharon instructed her.

"You said that last time!" she growled at her.

"One more push!" Sharon replied quickly.

With another string of curses, her grip tightened, she gave one big push before everything turned into a blur.

Only moments after, she heard a baby cried and the sight of a happy Lee kissing her, then she felt a drop of tear from him touched her.

"We have a son, Kara... Our son" he whispered in her ears.

Sharon handed the baby wrapped in blanket to Kara. Her trembling hands held him tight, it was so surreal for her.

Lee placed a hand on the new born, so tiny, so fragile, and yet he had brought a whole new world to him, a new meaning and a new purpose of life. He held his son in his arms and gave him a kiss before giving him back to Kara. As she held the world in her hands, she looked at him with great gratitude and pride.

"Welcome home, sport" Kara caressed the baby's forehead. She laid her head in Lee's arm as she indulge the feeling of security.

"Have you thought of a name?" he asked as he held both of them close. She smiled as she remembered praying to Zak for strength and courage.

"How about Zak?"

Lee smiled as she mentioned his brother's name.

"Suits him very well" he bent down to kiss her.

"Lee?" she whispered.

"Hmm?"

"You know you're still getting your ass kicked, right?"

Lee sparked a little laugh, he cradled her who was holding their son and hugged her tighter.

"Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt, but we have one very anxious Grandfather" Ishay peered from beneath the raptor's wing. It was only then that Kara realized that Sharon had left, Caprica was taken into custody and Hera was taken into medical care, the Admiral had entered the hangar deck.

Lee nodded at her. The Admiral saw relief in his son's face, he boarded the raptor to find Kara curled up in Lee's arms, holding the new born. William "Bill" Adama was a strong man, but the moment he laid eyes on his grandson, he teared up as kneeled beside the exhausted new mother.

"Hey Granddad" Kara's voice was weak, but didn't lack the teasing tone Starbuck always held.

Bill laughed as he happily took his Grandson in his arms.

"Granddad... Meet Zak" as Kara announced his name, Bill's eyes sparkled. He smiled again and took the newborn into his hands and held him close before putting Zak back in his mother's arms and for just a moment, enjoyed the tight hug of his family.

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><p>To be continued...<p>

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><p><em>Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) I hope you have a good New Years! See you in the next chapter in 2012 (family is still here so I'll be posting the next chapter after New Years).<em>


	9. Chapter 9

_Hi guys! Happy New Year! May this year brings you a lot of love and joy :) Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and I really hope you enjoy this chapter as well :)_

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 9<strong>

"Congratulations" Laura peeked through the edges of the lifestation's curtain. The still exhausted Kara rolled her head towards the woman and gave a grin. Only hours ago she gave birth to a beautiful healthy baby boy in a captured raptor. She was escorted to lifestation soon after the birth, and Zak finally was given the all clear.

"Thank you, Laura"

Laura came in and gracefully sat next to Kara who was cradling Zak. Lee had left as soon as Kara was settled in lifestation for mission report and debriefing. There was worry in her eyes, she was worried about Karl who laid on the bed next to hers. No one had told her how he was, and she almost broke down in tears when Lee finally told her. She had requested to be placed near him.

"Captain Agathon is a strong man, Kara. You of all people should know that" Laura assured her, reading the flicker of worry in her eyes. Kara nodded, the woman was right.

"Doc said he should wake up whenever he's ready" Kara felt the need to assured herself. Perhaps she knew then how he felt when she was the one lying on the hospital bed with a gunshot wound. Laura only nodded, recognizing Kara's way of calming herself down.

"He's beautiful" this time Laura gave a gentle smile and stroke Zak's forehead.

"He is" Kara smiled in agreement.

"Would you like to hold him?" Kara offered. The other woman beamed and her smile grew wider.

"I'd love to"

Kara carefully shifted and placed the new born in Laura's arms, and leaned back down on her pillows as Laura started rocking the baby gently.

"Seems like he likes his Grandma" Kara commented as he saw Zak moved and stirred to bring himself closer to the fold of her arms.

"More than he likes his grandfather?" the Admiral appeared behind the curtain and put a hand over Laura's shoulder before planting a kiss on her forehead.

Kara took in the sight of a happy family before she rolled her head towards the other side of her bed. Behind the curtain was her dear friend. Sharon had taken Hera to see him earlier, as soon as Cottle gave her the confirmation that Hera was whole and healthy. Kara never thought she'd feel affection towards the Cylon, but over the past year and a half, she was sure Athena was simply herself, and very much in love with Karl, and that, she could live with.

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><p>"Hey you..." Kara had gotten herself off the lifestation bed, with Zak in hand, and took him next door to see Karl. She had been very careful not to wake Lee who was asleep on the chair next to her bed. She wanted to wake him, tell him to go to their quarter and get some proper sleep, but she knew he'd be stubborn. The sight of Karl made her heart clenched, as her mind involuntarily flew back to the hallway where he was shot. He was still unconscious and looked beaten.<p>

Kara put her hand out and clutched on his, squeezing it gently.

"Hey sport, this is your Uncle Karl" she spoke to her new born. Kara almost jumped when Karl's hand moved and returned her squeeze with a much gentler one. She immediately threw her glance at her bestfriend, but his eyes were still shut, there was no change to his vitals. Perhaps he heard her anyway.

"Thank you, Helo" she whispered to him, "Wake up soon, Zak is anxious to meet you" she added before going back to her bed.

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><p>"Morning, sleepy head" Lee teased her as she woke. He was cuddling Zak and rocking him, the sight of him with the baby made her melt, she never thought she'd see the day. She always thought she didn't want kids, but her experience with Kacey had proven herself wrong. She said a silent promise that she would never be her mother. With Lee Adama as the father of the child, she reckoned she'd be okay.<p>

"Someone's here to see you" Lee mentioned as he gave her a good morning kiss.

"Hmm?"

"I'll be right outside with Zak" he smiled before he left, and the curtain opened to reveal a taller man.

"Hey... Glad to see you're okay"

"Hey Sam" her voice was almost a whisper. The man passed her the glass of water on her bedside table before she reached for it.

"Thanks" she murmured as she down the water.

Sam sat on the seat where Lee had been sleeping the night prior. The man was still in his flight suit, being a pilot then, he had become known as Longshot, and Kara wouldn't dare called him nugget anymore, he was a fighter pilot, and a damned good one.

"When can you go home?" he asked with genuine worry in his voice.

"Today. Cottle said I could go home yesterday but you know how the Adama men are like" she rolled her eyes, Sam chuckled at her statement. Deep down Kara was grateful that she was still in lifestation. She wanted to be close to Karl.

"So you've met the youngest Adama, I take it" a grin grew on her face.

"He's adorable, Kara. Congratulations" he paused for a moment.

"I just thought I'd come by to see you, I hope you don't mind"

"Not at all. Thank you" she gave a smile. She'd be in denial if she said that things had not been weird. Lee and Sam would never be bestfriend, but after their return from New Caprica, Sam was always there for her, he was the only one who seemed to be able to hover nearby without invading her space. Lee saw that and finally gave in, letting the other man helped. She may had broken the man's heart in the past, but they've worked through it, mainly it was thanks to the viper training program and the year living apart, when Sam resided on planet side and started his relationship with Seelix.

"Diana sends her regards" he said as he started to get himself up, but it was interrupted by the joyful cry from next door.

Moments after, the curtain was abruptly drawn, revealing Sharon who couldn't hide her wide sweet smile off her face.

"He's awake" she simply said before everyone including Kara rushed to his bedside.

"Did you really expect me to sleep through all that noise?" came a voice that Kara longed to hear. She beamed and hugged the man.

"Gentle!" he warned her before she'd accidentally strangle him or give him a new wound to worry about. He was still weak, still looked as beaten as he did last night, but he had more colour in him, something that Kara was more than happy to see.

Sharon came in as Sam was in Kara's bedside to find Karl awake and waiting for her. He was still exhausted, but he had Cottle's permission to receive visitors. They still had to keep an eye on his gun wounds for infections, but he pulled through alright. He woke up late last night after everyone had gone to sleep, and the nurse alerted Cottle of the new development.

"Hey little man" Karl greeted the new born as Lee placed him in Karl's arms.

The group huddled tighter and earned a frustrated sigh from Cottle.

"Keep it down, you guys or I'll kick you all out! Helo needs sleep" he barked at them.

"He's just jealous" Kara winked at Karl and laughter broke, earning them a growl from the doctor.

_At least they're happy_, he thought as he lit a cigarette. It had been awhile since the last time he had that much joy in lifestation, and he didn't actually mind it. _Just don't tell Starbuck._

* * *

><p>That night Sharon took Hera to visit Karl. It was quiet, Kara had left lifestation and back in her quarter, but Sharon didn't mind that. She missed her husband. Karl cradled his two women in his arms, glad that he was still around to hold them close. He had learned from Lee of what happened and what Sharon did. It terrified him that she had to go through all of that without his support, and for Kara to go through yet another traumatizing event, but in the end what mattered to him was that they were all back home safe. The three enjoyed each other company for a moment before Cottle ushered Sharon to take Hera away as Karl needed to rest. He was due to be released in a few days.<p>

"Starbuck said hi" Sam passed a shot glass to Seelix. Joe's was busy as usual, but it didn't escape Sam's attention, the brighter faces of the fellow pilots as the much happier Admiral entered the vicinity. The good news had made the Old Man looked younger that night. Sam couldn't help but smiled, they've lost too many of their comrades already, Zak's birth was a blessing.

Sam tuned out and he focused on a crackle as an odd melody played. It was so close... Where was that coming from?

"What do you think?" Seelix looped her arms around his.

"Did you hear that?" Sam asked, ignoring her question.

"Huh?"

"The music" he said again. Seelix raised an eyebrow before she tugged on his arm.

"Let's dance" she suggested.

Under a raptor the Chief cursed as the very same music played to his ears. He got out from under the raptor to turn the radio off, but only to find that the radio wasn't even there that night...

Saul Tigh was drowning his sorrow of losing Ellen in a bottle of whiskey when he heard it, but he shrugged it off and blamed it on the level of intoxication he was in, and continued to stare at a picture of Ellen.

"Tory? Are you okay?" Laura's voice startled her.

"Did you hear that?" she asked back.

"What?"

"I heard music..." she realized that the President was staring at her then. Since Billy's death on New Caprica during the escape, Tory had taken over his role, and it had been hard work. Maybe she was just tired...

"Nevermind..." Tory went back to the notes in front of her and diverted her attention back to the President.

_I need more sleep_, her mind told her.

Back in the confinement of their quarter Kara held Zak in her arm and started humming the song she pulled out of her memory bank. Lee frowned as he witnessed the occasion.

"Where did you hear that song?" he asked. Kara lifted her head to meet Lee's and kept humming before she walked towards him.

"It's something that I used to play with my father..." she lingered in the memory of it for a moment.

"I don't exactly know why, I thought I've forgotten the song" she added as she shook her head.

"It's beautiful" he mentioned as he welcomed her and their son into her arms

Kara let out a silent praise to the Lords of Kobol as she sank into the protective measure of Lee's arm. _For now let us have this moment, for there will be tough times ahead._

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><p><em>Fin.<em>

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><p><em>I hope the last scene make sense to you. I knew exactly how it would be cut together for screen, but I never thought it was much harder to actually write it. It's harder to portray it when my brain works better with series of images instead of words. Haha.<em>

_Thank you very much for following this story, I hope you enjoyed it. All support, reviews, and comments are very much appreciated. Thank you again. I really enjoyed writing this story, and it was surprisingly longer than I expected it to be. It started out as a 2 chapter (ish) segment out of my cross over, and it expanded to 9 chapters. How exciting. I'm happy with it. Thank you!_

_I hope you all have a great start of the year! :)_


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